


You're a Rulebreaker (but so am i)

by tuanpark



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: (Kind of? Not really enemies), Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Banter, Basically your jock and nerd but in Hogwarts form, But it's hard to integrate it with this verse sorryyyyy!!!, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Hogwarts, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, I usually like to include Korean culture, Kim Seungmin is in Denial, M/M, That said this is basically just Korean idols sort of dropped into the wizarding world, There's no bit of Korean culture in here so I'm sorry for that!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-18 15:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20641691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuanpark/pseuds/tuanpark
Summary: Meet Seungmin, a hard-working Slytherin, named Head Boy in his seventh year, somewhat of a magical prodigy, values the importance of education, and is someone who believes that rules exist to be followed.Meet Hyunjin, named captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, a little more on the spontaneous side, has a habit of completing things in unorthodox methods, and is someone who, upon getting to know him a little better, Seungmin ends up wanting to bend the rules for.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings!
> 
> I have been itching to write Seungjin in HP Verse, and here it is! This is self-edited, so I'm sure there will be mistakes. Sorry for that!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!! I am very much in love with the Harry Potter universe and may go a bit too into detail of things. So if you have any questions about anything, please just ask!
> 
> **Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters, and all the scenes written are purely fiction.

“Okay, everyone. Let’s make this the best year for Hogwarts yet,” Seungmin orders into the room of Prefects with a clap. “Dismissed.”

One-by-one, the group of Prefects exit Compartment B of the Hogwarts Express.

“Do you really think this will be a good year for us?” Jeongin asks as he settles beside Seungmin. Yang Jeongin is Seungmin’s protege of sorts, though he’s more of a friend than a mindless follower.

“Yes, no doubt,” Seungmin nods. There’s a multitude of reasons why Seungmin believes this will be the most peaceful year at Hogwarts. For one, they have twenty-two outstanding Prefects, hand-picked by Headmistress McGonagall herself. Two, the last of the Rowdy Jarveys have all graduated the previous year, thank Merlin. The Heads and Prefects are finally free of Bambam’s awful pranks, Seokmin’s clownery, Jaehyun’s spoofs, and even the borderline illegal misuse of love potions for one Cha Eunwoo. Three, fiery Hwang Yeji is the Head Girl. And most importantly, “I’m Head Boy, which means any witch or wizard that participates in any type of frivolity, gags, and shenanigans… it’ll be on sight.”

Jeongin is looking at Seungmin, a little bit starstruck.

“Stop fooling around, Seungmin, and do the rounds for the train, yeah?” Yeji pipes up from the side.

“Yes, ma’am!” Seungmin replies, head down as he scurries away with Jeongin on his tail.

“She’s scary,” Jeongin whispers to him. He’s not wrong. Though Seungmin leads the Prefect meetings, Yeji has all the power.

“Which is why she’s perfect for Head Girl,” Seungmin adds, stretching his back as soon as he exits the compartment. “Stay with me, and I’ll guarantee you’ll be Head Boy next year.”

Jeongin nods enthusiastically. Seungmin fixes his Head Boy badge and struts down the hall of the Hogwarts Express. When they encounter the Trolley Lady who never fails to bring them sweets of every kind in the Hogwarts Express, Seungmin turns to Jeongin.

“Do you want anything? The ride is long.”

Jeongin peeks over Seungmin’s shoulder, eyeing the various kinds of chocolates and candies that decorate the trolley.

“I think I’ll be okay, I’m not really that hungry. We shouldn’t have sweets before dinner anyway.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes before approaching the Trolley Lady and asking for some Liquorice Wands and Pumpkin Pasties. He pays the woman 4 sickles and turns back to Jeongin to give him some food.

“Eat.”

Jeongin smiles at him. “Thank you.”

They walk down the train with caution, sneaking glances at the compartments they pass and making sure that no witch or wizard from any House is breaking any rules. It’s not until they’re midway through does someone finally catch Seungmin’s attention. Of course. _ Of course _ they’re Gryffindors, irresponsible, arrogant, rulebreaking Gryffindors who have no respect for regulations, standards, and principles of behavior.

Seungmin dusts his robes before opening the sliding door.

“Hello, mangy Gryffs,” Seungmin greets. The two seventh years twist their heads to glance up at Seungmin.

“Look who we have here, Jinnie.”

“Ah, Bighead Boy! What a pleasant surprise.”

Seungmin scowls at them and the horrendous nickname. Though he must admit, it’s a really good play on his title. “Imp, Horklump, please put your uniform on correctly.”

Jisung cackles. “What’s wrong with how we’re dressed?”

“Well first, you have to have your house tie on, you nincompoop,” Seungmin sighs, glaring at Jisung before facing Hyunjin with an accusing finger. “And _ you _ have to button up your shirt at least to the second button.”

Hyunjin sputters. “I’ve never heard those rules.”

“Those have always been the rules,” Seungmin shrugs. “But I guess the previous Heads didn’t enforce them enough. Don’t worry though, count on me to make Hogwarts a better place.”

“And me!” Jeongin adds from the back.

“And how are young going to do that, exactly?” Jisung snorts, bringing his boots up to the seat. It makes Seungmin uncomfortable because the bottoms of boots are insanely dirty, and the soft spot they’re currently resting on are seats. Where people sit down. And touch.

“By starting with you lot,” Seungmin says and steps forward to try and be more commanding. “Don’t let me catch you with—ack!” Seungmin trips on what seems the be a suitcase peeking out of the bottom compartment and ends up on the ground. “For heaven’s sake, Hyunjin. Put your things away properly!”

Jisung snickers as Hyunjin hurries up next to him. “My bad. Are you okay?”

Hyunjin offers a helping hand, but Seungmin would rather eat vomit-flavored Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Bean before accepting assistance from the Gryffindor, so he slaps it away.

“I can get up on my own, thank you very much,” Seungmin hisses as he pulls himself up, dusting his robes. “Don’t let me catch you with improper attire at the castle, or I will not hesitate to forcibly do it for you as well as deduct points off the Gryffindor House.”

Seungmin swiftly turns around without another word, his robes making a whooshing sound in the air as Hyunjin and Jisung giggle at his dramatic exit.

“That could’ve gone better than expected,” Jeongin comments once they’ve closed the compartment door.

“It’s fine,” Seungmin reassures himself as he starts walking again with a high chin. “They know that I’m being serious when I say I _ will _ take points off.”

***

The Welcoming Feast is, for lack of a better word, welcoming. Seungmin feels at home as soon as he enters the Great Hall. Behind the two large doors are long tables brimming with students from second to seventh years. Golden plates, goblets, and cutlery adorn the tables, surrounding the massive dishes of the food they’re about to eat.

The tables are separated by Houses, starting with Slytherin from the left, followed by Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, and lastly Gryffindor all the way to the right. House banners hang on the walls of the Great Hall, each one vibrant with their own colors and mascot. For Slytherins, these are silver and emerald green, representative of the sophistication and elegance carried by the Serpents for centuries. For Ravenclaw, bronze and royal blue, which is a good representation of the wisdom and professionalism valued highly by the Eagles. Hufflepuff colors are black and yellow, which signifies the hardworking nature and genuine goodness that makes the Badgers so great. Gryffindor colors are scarlet and gold, which is associated with the devotion and grandeur that describes the Lions considerably.

All of the banners are glinting from the brilliance gleaming from above. Several meters on top are candles suspended in midair, glowing with a soft light that makes the whole room feel warm. The ceiling is enchanted so that everyone who enters can enjoy the night sky, a dark violet glittered with twinkling stars and a waning crescent moon.

Breathing in, Seungmin walks to the Slytherin table with his head held high, giving the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin House ghost, a nod before finding a place to sit. The seat he ends up choosing is right next to Jaemin, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, and Chaeyoung, their Seeker.

“Good evening!” Seungmin greets.

“Nothing good about it,” Jaemin snides. “I’m already starving, and Peeves was being a pain in the Entrance Hall earlier.”

Chaeyoung snickers. “I wish they would begin the Sorting soon. I could eat this whole table from how hungry I am.”

Seungmin agrees and gingerly takes a seat. And as if on queue, the grand double doors open to let in a gaggle of first years looking a mix of frightened, excited, and somewhat bored. They're all so small and tiny, the scene made more bizarre with how they're led by an even tinier Professor Flitwick. He leads them to the front where an old pointed hat sits, worn and gray from how ancient it is.

The Sorting Hat sings its song, much to the first years' surprise. Their awe makes Seungmin kind of miss being a first year himself, when Hogwarts was still full of wonder and amazement to his 11-year old eyes. Now he knows that it’s just filled with rulebreakers and sports fans alike.

Professor Flitwick begins the Sorting Ceremony, calling each name to go up to the seat so that the Sorting Hat may place them into any House it decides. Each House claps and applauds whenever a new student is sorted into their respective House, and as such, Seungmin cheers for and welcomes all the students that are placed in Slytherin.

With the Sorting finished, all the students dig into their food. Seungmin immediately goes for the Treacle Tart, one of his favorite desserts that's almost always offered in the menu of the start-of-the-year feast. He gets a little bit of everything, roast beef, roast chicken, boiled potatoes, even sausages and bacon. And Seungmin is chewing on a mouthful of chicken when he feels someone eyeing him from across the hall.

As he looks up, he somehow finds Hyunjin’s line of sight in the spaces between students. Even from this far, Seungmin can see clearly how Hyunjin smirks before nodding up at him in greeting before motioning a _ hi _with his hands.

Seungmin rolls his eyes and continues eating his food, drinking a goblet full of orange juice after he’s finished with it all.

When everyone is fed, Headmistress McGonagall does her yearly speech in that booming voice of hers. She drones on about the upcoming school year, the new rules set in place by the Hogwarts caretaker, Mr. Filch, and introduces all the Professors teaching the subjects this year.

After the feast, Seungmin leads the first years to the Slytherin Common Room, out the Great Hall, across the Entrance Hall, and into the dungeons where it’s located. Past the Potions Master’s office and behind a door with a serpent knocker, they descend down the stone steps until faced with a stretch of wall made of marble.

“Here is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room,” Seungmin projects.

“But there isn’t a door in sight!” one of the first years pipes up.

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Seungmin smiles. “Every year, we have different sets of passwords. This year happens to be _ Serpentskin _.”

And sure enough, after Seungmin utters the word, the narrow stretch of bare wall splits into a door and opens up to let the students in.

“Don’t give that password to anyone! Or we might get our common room ransacked, and we don’t want that.”

After a long night of helping first years get settled in, Seungmin plops down onto the four-poster bed in his bedroom, up the Slytherin Boys’ Dormitory.

“Rough night?” Jaemin asks from where he’s unpacking.

“What’s rougher than rough?” Seungmin mumbles into the pillow.

“Rough and tough?”

“It was rough and tough and hard and long,” Seungmin replies.

Jaemin snickers. “If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed you were describing a—”

Jaemin doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Seungmin immediately flicks his wand and hexes the other boy’s tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth. The other boy starts thrashing and cursing at Seungmin with muffled sounds.

Seungmin laughs at Jaemin’s inability to talk before lifting the jinx with a quick swish.

“You’re a little bitch,” Jaemin huffs.

Not like Seungmin didn’t know before. Perhaps being Head Boy is a little more strenuous than he thought, but he thinks he can endure.

***

It turns out, being Head Boy isn’t as draining as Seungmin had assumed, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have its stressful moments. After a few days, he gets into a rhythm that works well for him, waking up early and going to his classes, but there are times when he doesn’t have enough hours in his day to finish work up to his standards. On the way between lectures, Seungmin uses his Head Boy authority to prevent students from breaking the rules or to deduct points off of those who do. At night, after patrolling corridors for students out past curfew, Seungmin does his best to get all of his work done to the highest quality, to Seungmin Quality, he likes to call it.

His weeks go by sort of well, except for the fact that Hyunjin likes to flirt with Seungmin. If Seungmin could even call it that.

It’s not usually anything big, generally something small and harmless like this one time, during dinner when he winked at Seungmin from way across the Great Hall. And while Seungmin had ignored him, there were a couple of girls who were in between their line of sight that started squealing, presumably thinking the wink was sent to them.

There was this other instance as well, where Hyunjin had cornered Seungmin right before Gryffindor Quidditch Tryouts. He was in full attire, clothed in Quidditch robes of red and gold, holding his broomstick like a beacon of confidence.

“Hey, Bighead Boy,” he said, marching up to Seungmin with an aura of certainty. “You coming to watch our tryouts?”

Seungmin gave him a funny look, confused. “Why in Merlin’s beard would I do that?”

“To check out the competition, of course,” he said, leering. "And me."

Seungmin rolled his eyes and shouldered past Hyunjin and his aggravating coquetry.

Hyunjin also likes to send little notes to Seungmin during class when he’s bored. These almost always happen during History of Magic, which is the least interactive class of the year, so he understands Hyunjin’s inattentiveness. It doesn’t mean he agrees with the boy's actions though.

So when Hyunjin charms notes to fly to Seungmin, Seungmin usually ignores them, or sets them on fire when the professor isn't looking, or sometimes rips them apart, all with a blank or delighted expression. 

In any case, he simply grins and bears it, just as he’s doing now.

Seungmin is listening to Professor Binns drone on about the history of wandlore when a pale violet paper crane roosts on top of his parchment paper. The charmwork is perfect, considering how softly the bewitched paper crane lands. Seungmin is impressed, but will never tell Hyunjin that.

Narrowing his eyes, he pokes it with his quill and watches the ink seep onto the paper crane. Seungmin looks around to search for the perpetrator when he’s met with Hyunjin’s penetrating gaze from a few rows down.

The older boy smirks at him and mouths _ open it _.

Lifting his eyebrow, Seungmin turns back to the note and slowly unfolds it. In the center of the paper is a drawing of a coconut.

_ Your hair reminds me of a coconut, but sadly, no coconut is as pretty as you. _

Seungmin rolls his eyes and pulls out his wand. With a tap, the paper forms itself into a plane and skyrockets up to the ceiling, before zooming all the way to spot a couple of meters atop Hyunjin where it freefalls in front of the older boy’s face and tears itself up right in front of him.

Hyunjin releases a rather loud gasp.

“Mr. Hwang, no disruptions while I’m lecturing,” he says, voice droning on like a vacuum. “Five points from Gryffindor.”

Seungmin gives him a smug look, but Hyunjin just returns it with a pout.

“Lover boy is really going through it, huh?” Felix comments from the side. “I can’t believe he’s sending you love notes now too.”

Seungmin snorts. “They’re barely what one would consider a love note. And please don’t dub him lover boy. It hurts my ears.”

“But they’re love notes in essence, am I correct?”

“No,” answers Seungmin immediately. Though on second thought, Hyunjin did mention how Seungmin is pretty. So he guesses that counts for something. “Yes, maybe? Why does it even matter? We both know he’s just teasing me for being a harsh Head Boy.”

“_Do _ we know that?” Felix looks at him playfully. “As far as I know, Hyunjin likes to mess with you and catch your attention. Now he's sending you love notes too? He’s obviously interested at least a little bit.”

Is that correct? Hyunjin _ does _ seem to enjoy badgering him, though now that Felix brings it up, he’s not sure exactly why Hyunjin does it. Just that he does. And Hyunjin doesn’t try to catch Seungmin’s attention purposely, at least Seungmin doesn’t think it’s intentional. It just so happens that Hyunjin likes to bend the rules. As for the notes, well, that’s a whole story entirely. Anyways, half of it is mostly wishful thinking. Not to say that Seungmin is wishing for these, no. It’s just an expression.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Seungmin turns around and spots Hyunjin. The older boy is slumped forward, arms splayed on his desk with his chin on top of them. Jisung is right next to Hyunjin, whispering things while he pets the older boy’s hair.

Yeah, Seungmin is sure it’s nothing.

***

To say that Seungmin is starting to get swamped with work is an understatement. While he’s able to finish everything in a timely manner, he sometimes sacrifices a bit of sleep just to go above and beyond, or the other way around (which adds to his stress). Jeongin, Felix, and Changbin all notice this and proceed to haul him out of the Slytherin Common Room and into Hogsmeade with the reasoning that Seungmin is starting to look irritable whenever they see him.

Though reluctant at first, Seungmin finds that being out in the sunlight and away from Hogwarts is doing wonders to ease his stressed self and crabby mood as of late. He and his friends are at The Three Broomsticks, having a chat on one of the round tables, Jeongin and Seungmin with a large mug of Butterbeer while Felix and Changbin sip on a tankard of Firewhisky.

“Yeah, and I was the only one able to turn vinegar into wine!” Jeongin says proudly as he gives them a beaming smile. “Professor Flitwick gave our House some points because of it.”

“That’s our Innie,” Changbin coos, attempting to pet Jeongin’s head but failing to do so when the younger swats his hands away.

“And what about you, Seungmin?” Changbin turns to him as he takes a gulp of Firewhisky. He makes a face that shows just how much the liquid burns as it goes down his throat. “Anything interesting happen to you lately?”

“Nope!” Seungmin answers, just as he hears Felix saying “Yup!”

Both Changbin and Jeongin turn their attention to Felix. 

“Oh, do tell!” Jeongin smiles, leaning forward to put his chin in his hands as Changbin nods in agreement.

“Well, Minnie here has a love interest—” Felix wags his eyebrows.

“I do not!”

“—or rather, someone is interested in Seungmin, but we’ve been knew.”

Jeongin releases an elongated _ ooh _ while Changbin whistles.

“Is it who I think it is?” Changbin teases. Seungmin drinks his butterbeer to refrain from answering, but Felix laughs and answers for him anyway.

“If you’re thinking of the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, then you’re absolutely right. Hyunjin’s been sending him love letters during History of Magic.”

“That’s not true,” Seungmin denies, much to his friends’ amusement. “They’re not love letters. And honestly, Hyunjin just likes to see me suffer, that’s why he’s doing all of this. Can’t you see how elated he gets when he gets me upset? Or worse, annoyed?”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly why I think he’s interested,” Felix pipes up.

“Didn’t he once try to ask you to dance during the Yule Ball in our fourth year?” Changbin adds, snickering.

“He obviously wanted to make fun of my dancing abilities, seeing as I have none,” Seungmin shrugs. “I didn’t even talk to him much during our fourth year! He and his Quidditch cronies were clearly trying to take the piss out of me, seeing as how they were all giggling when Hyunjin was asking me to dance with him.”

“Oh! What about that one time when he tried to eat dinner with you during the holidays in your fifth year?” Jeongin asks, taking a swig of his Butterbeer. The foam gives him a sort of mustache that Seungmin’s mind finds kind of funny.

“That was undoubtedly because only a few people from Gryffindor stayed over the holidays that year,” Seungmin reasons. “And nobody in the Quidditch Team from _any_ House stayed back, and he’s noticeably an affectionate person, so I’m sure he was simply feeling lonely.”

“Wasn't that also your only year staying back? And he went to you! Of all people!” Felix asserts.

“There were only twenty-three of us, so there wasn't exactly many to choose from,” Seungmin clarifies with a roll of his eyes. “Dear Merlin, I think the Firewhisky is getting to you, Felix.”

Changbin snorts. “Well, how about—”

“And you too! Too much Firewhisky for you,” Seungmin turns to Changbin with a pointy finger, before narrowing his eyes towards Jeongin. “And don’t even get me started on you and your Butterbeer.”

Jeongin puts his hands up in surrender.

The hour goes by like that, each person getting grilled by the other three, much to the enjoyment and annoyance of the people close enough to hear their loud chatter. In the end, they’re all feeling light and good. Seungmin thinks he feels the silent hum of the small alcoholic content of Butterbeer buzzing on his skin. Felix and Changbin must be much worse, seeing as Firewhisky has a higher alcohol percentage. It’s okay though, it makes them feel warmer when they step out into the snow.

They do a lot of window shopping in Hogsmeade before settling on going to Zonko’s Joke Shop where they buy some joke products. Felix purchases Dungbombs, much to Seungmin’s distress. _ Don’t you dare set that off in the hallways, or I will take points off of the Hufflepuff House, regardless if you’re my friend or not. _ Changbin settles with Nose-Biting Teacups, his reason being _ It’s almost my big sister’s birthday, and she loves tea _ . Jeongin pays for Frog-Spawn Soap, telling Seungmin _ Don’t worry! It’s for my big brother who pranks me a lot. Payback’s going to be a bitch. _

Seungmin shakes his head at his friends’ antics, even if he finds their reactions to several of Zonko’s new merchandise heartwarmingly endearing.

Later, when they’ve all finished shopping for joke products and are just casually walking down High Street, Seungmin tells them that he wants to go to Gladrag’s Wizardwear to peruse the store’s large selection of strange socks. Changbin, Felix, and Jeongin make a weird face but agree to come along anyway. Seungmin ends up buying one that makes a high-pitched scream when it gets too smelly.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You have a stinky feet problem?” Changbin asks teasingly. 

“It’s for my brother who has a sock collection!” Seungmin barks. “I don’t have stinky feet!”

“Right.”

They go to Honeydukes after. His three friends quickly go inside, their sweet tooth getting them a little too excited for their own good. Seungmin lags along and is about to enter when he sees Hyunjin walking along the sidewalk right across the street. He’s with a girl, it seems. Upon closer inspection, Seungmin identifies her as Kang Mina of Hufflepuff.

She’s pulling Hyunjin along by the wrist with both hands, walking backward to the hairdressing salon directly across from Honeydukes. Hyunjin’s free hand is rubbing the back of his head, and Seungmin can’t tell if Hyunjin is unwillingly going in with her or just shy in doing so. Regardless, he looks away. It’s none of his business, he thinks as he goes through the entrance of the sweet shop. Though feeling slightly annoyed at the strange turn of events, Seungmin chalks it up to feeling cranky at the fact that he hasn’t had real food since they got to Hogsmeade.

In any case, he tries not to think much of it.

***

Seungmin is patrolling the corridors when he sees Hyunjin out of class, strutting around as if he owns half the castle. Once again, his eyes zero in on the undone tie hanging from Hyunjin’s neck and the low dip of his half-buttoned shirt. Seungmin refuses to focus on how there’s a good chunk of Hyunjin’s milky chest on his display.

“Horklump,” Seungmin calls once he’s of earshot. “What did I tell you about buttoning your shirt? This isn’t a who-can-show-the-most-cleavage competition.”

“Hello to you too, Bighead Boy,” Hyunjin says as he puts his hands up. “Relax on the rules, will you? My chest isn’t hurting anybody.”

Seungmin sneers. “I will not hesitate to use my authority if you refuse to wear the Hogwarts uniform properly. That’s a warning.”

“What are you going to do? Take points off of my House?” Hyunjin mocks, hands still displayed in the air. “And If memory serves me right, didn’t you say you would forcefully do it for me if I didn’t comply?”

Seungmin squints at him. What’s he playing at?

“Well?” Hyunjin smirks as he wags his eyebrows and juts out his chest microscopically. “I’m waiting.”

Seungmin scoffs. If Hyunjin thinks for one second that Seungmin is going to walk up to him and purposely reach out to secure his shirt, then the Gryffindor is more of a dunderhead than he thought. Whipping out his wand, Seungmin quickly performs a silent incantation that fastens the studs of Hyunjin’s shirt one-by-one.

“Whoa, whoa, wait!” Hyunjin cries as he attempts to stop his shirt from sealing itself.

Too late though. Seungmin’s magic is closing the top button. And for the finishing touch, the scarlet and gold tie snakes itself around Hyunjin’s neck like a noose before tying itself and tightening onto Hyunjin’s collar.

Hyunjin makes a surprised coughing noise as he loosens the tie just the tiniest bit. “I almost choked to death, you river troll.”

“Good, that would be one less rulebreaker to worry about,” Seungmin replies haughtily before passing Hyunjin with a high chin. After a few steps, he looks back and says, “And five points from Gryffindor for not following instructions after my first warning.”

Hyunjin sputters. “Uniforms aren’t even worth points, Seungmin, come on.”

“Rules are rules, Horklump,” Seungmin smirks. Being Head Boy is so fun. “Don’t let me find you displaying your whole chest again, or I will waste no time taking more points off of your obnoxious House.”

Hyunjin scoffs. “Is this what this is about? You’re jealous that people can see my chest?”

The taller boy approaches him with an air of confidence. “If you wanted my chest all to yourself, you should have just told me. No need to act like this is you trying to abide by the rules.”

Seungmin is _ definitely _ not jealous, not of people ogling Hyunjin's smooth chest, and especially not of Kang Mina of Hufflepuff who got to spend the day with Hyunjin at Hogsmeade. Hyunjin is free to spend his day with whoever he wants, not a big deal to Seungmin. And this isn’t just Seungmin acting like this is him trying to abide by the rules. Is Hyunjin’s insane? Keeping an eye out for students who break the rules is part of a Head Boy’s job. 

He grits his teeth at Hyunjin’s proximity since it’s getting a little hard to breathe with Hyunjin so annoyingly close. Seungmin thinks he smells a little bit of vanilla, wood polish, and a hint of classic deodorant.

“You’re delusional, Horklump,” Seungmin coughs and backs away. “And do take a shower once in a while, yeah? I can smell the broomstick wax off of you.”

He marches off to Hyunjin’s huffs. Seungmin hopes he wasn’t too strict about this situation, but finds that he doesn’t even care that much. Rulebreakers deserve the severity anyway. When he’s finally at the end of the corridor, he turns back to look at Hyunjin.

The taller boy is still standing at the same spot, one hand in his pocket while the other is waving goodbye at Seungmin. Snorting, Seungmin turns around and exits through the doorway.

Merlin, he’s irritating. That boy will be the death of him.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungmin shows off. Hyunjin shows off. Jeongin shows off. Someone cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one!
> 
> This is self-edited, so I'm sure there will be mistakes. Sorry for that!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!! I am very much in love with the Harry Potter universe and may go a bit too into detail of things. So if you have any questions about anything, please just ask!

Seungmin is at the library, trying to finish an essay on the importance of nonverbal spells when he hears Jeongin hissing for his name. He sighs. It seems homework for Defense Against the Dark Arts will have to wait.

“Seungmin! I finally found you, thank Merlin.” Jeongin cries as he starts to pull Seungmin by the wrist. “There’s a problem at the Quidditch pitch!”

“What’s going on?” Seungmin asks, putting his things away before getting impatient and using a spell. “_Pack!_”

His items begin to organize themselves into his satchel, going in one-by-one.

“It’s the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Quidditch Teams! They’re having a heated argument, and it’s getting worse!” Jeongin explains, panicked.

Seungmin and Jeongin start running down the moving staircases and out onto the back exit of the Hogwarts castle. They cross the castle grounds and make haste to the Quidditch pitch. Out of breath, Seungmin is first to enter the ring and sees two groups of people having what seems to be a rather odd shouting match.

As he gets closer, he sees the respective Quidditch captains in the center of it along with Jisung by Hyunjin’s side.

“What’s going on here?!” Seungmin shouts, hand going to his wand inside his pocket as all the Quidditch players turn to him in surprise.

“Bighead Boy!” Jisung greets. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“As a matter of fact, anything that may lead to anything remotely close to rulebreaking concerns me,” Seungmin attacks back, hand tightening on his wand. “Now let me ask again. What is going on here?”

“Relax, Seungmin,” Hyunjin offers, even though Seungmin could see a tint of pink that shows he’s also on the verge of getting furious. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”

“It isn’t _ just _a misunderstanding,” Renjun, the Ravenclaw Chaser, speaks up.

“Seungmin,” Changbin calls, gathering the younger boy’s attention. “The Gryffindor Quidditch Team has been here practicing for two and a half hours already. It’s our turn to practice now.”

“No, it’s not,” Jisung argues. “We have a note from our Head of House that explicitly states we are allowed to play until sundown. After that, the stadium is all yours.”

“You know full well that Tuesdays late afternoon and Thursdays early afternoon are Ravenclaw’s timeslot on the Quidditch Pitch. What use will the Quidditch pitch be after sundown?” Changbin growls. “There may not be a written schedule, but there’s a silent agreement between the teams to not coincide with the practice times. Hyunjin, you must know this.”

“I wasn’t aware that there was any sort of agreement,” Hyunjin narrows his eyes. “To me, it just sounds like you’re trying to lessen our practice time before our match this weekend.”

“That’s a lie,” Renjun accuses.

“Shut it, crow,” Jisung snaps.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” Chaewon flares. And then everybody is talking over each other, Changbin holding back an emotional Renjun while Hyunjin restrains a barking Jisung.

His head threatening to split from the loudness, Seungmin points his wand to his own neck and recites the Amplifying Charm, “Sonorus.”

Once he feels the tickling feeling on his throat that suggests the spell has worked, Seungmin yells. “Everybody, quiet!”

His voice booms around the Quidditch pitch, the sounds reverberating against the soil they’re standing on. Even the grass is shaking from the amplified noise. Nearly everyone has either one eye or both eyes closed from the ear-splitting sound coming out of Seungmin's mouth. He silently performs the counter-charm to return his voice back to normal.

“Now that I have your attention, let’s start over,” Seungmin grits through his teeth. “Hyunjin, which days and hours do the Gryffindor Quidditch Team practice on the pitch?”

“We have the pitch on Tuesdays between 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and Thursdays, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm,” Hyunjin answers, deflating. “We also have additional practice on Friday too since we’re one of the Houses playing this weekend.”

Seungmin nods and turns to the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team captain. “And Changbin, when do the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team practice?”

Changbin looks over at Hyunjin smugly. “Tuesdays 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and Thursdays, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Extra session on Friday for the same reason.”

“Assuming that the Slytherin and Hufflepuff teams practice on Monday and Wednesdays during those times, and that the game is Saturday, I think it’s only fair that the Ravenclaws get their share of practice hours,” Seungmin reasons, before taking out his pocket watch. “And it’s 5:33 already. Look at that! Almost perfect timing.”

“But what about the note that we have?” Hyunjin argues. “Our Head of House went ahead and signed it and everything.”

“I understand that, but the schedule seems as if it was already set from the beginning,” Seungmin shrugs.

“Look, Seungmin,” Hyunjin approaches him slowly. “We have the time slot until sundown, the note says so itself. The chances of me stopping my team’s practice to let the Ravenclaws play is about the same chance that you can score a goal on me. Which is to say, zero.”

The surrounding players lets out an _ ooh_. Typical of people to assume that just because he’s Head Boy means he doesn’t have a single athletic bone in his body.

“So you’re saying if I score a goal on you, then you’d let the Ravenclaws practice?” Seungmin challenges. Hyunjin’s aura of confidence falters for a moment, and Seungmin sees the quick flash of uncertainty in his eyes right before it disappears.

“If you score a goal on me, then I’ll give you ten galleons, maybe a kiss if you really want it,” Hyunjin tries to deflect. Seungmin understands. It would be a lose-lose situation for him. If Seungmin doesn’t score a goal, Hyunjin will look sort of like a bully for doing it. If Seungmin does score one, Hyunjin will look like a loser.

“How about no,” Seungmin bites back before approaching Changbin and taking his broomstick.

“What are you doing?” Changbin hisses quietly.

“Just trust me.”

He also goes to Renjun to steal the Quaffle from him and turns around to squint at Hyunjin. “If I score a goal, then you’ll do what I say and let the Ravenclaws practice on their regular hours. How about it, Horklump?”

Hyunjin stares at Seungmin, the crowd egging Hyunjin on with cheers and applause. Seungmin smirks, juggling the Quaffle with one hand. Gryffindors are weak when their pride is on the line and there's a large number of people watching.

“You got yourself a deal, Bighead Boy.”

Without another word, Hyunjin swings his legs over his broomstick and skyrockets into the air and towards the goalposts. The Gryffindors jump up in excitement at their precious captain. With a sharp flick of his wand, Seungmin uses the Banishing Charm to send the Quaffle flying up into the air.

Tucking his wand away, Seungmin immediately hops on Changbin’s broomsticks and zooms up into the sky to catch the Quaffle in its descent.

Once he feels the ball in his hands, Seungmin dives towards Hyunjin, who's leaning forward near the center of the three goalposts. Seungmin spikes up to the topmost goal and Hyunjin follows him to narrow down Seungmin’s line of shot.

When Hyunjin starts to get too close, Seungmin angles his body downward and hurtles towards the lowest post. Hyunjin swiftly tails him, still between Seungmin and the goalposts.

Eyeing the shortest goalpost, Seungmin calculates the distance between that and the high goal. When in position, Seungmin aims and pulls his hand back, making his arm act like a sling and shoots. Hyunjin quickly swoops down to disrupt the angle of his shot. Except, right when Seungmin’s supposed to let go, he instead continues his body motion, similar to a Sloth Grip Roll, rotating himself not unlike a fast rotisserie before launching the Quaffle down and around his broomstick. 

The Quaffle curves towards the high goal. Hyunjin, who had mistakenly dived down to the low post due to Seungmin's feint, can do nothing but watch as the Quaffle spin swiftly and hit the ring of the post before ricocheting inside.

The cheers from the ground are so loud that even from this high up, both Seungmin and Hyunjin can hear them.

“Where’d you learn to play like that?” Hyunjin asks in awe, mouth open wide with stars in his eyes. Seungmin wants to gloat, but the starstruck look on Hyunjin’s face is making his hands clammy and the back of his neck feel funny.

“My older brother was the Slytherin Keeper that got us five Quidditch Cups in 6 years. He made me practice with him ever since I was 8, so technically I’ve been making goals since I was a baby.”

“Your brother was Kim Wonpil? _ The _ Impassable Serpent Guard?” Hyunjin breathes out, shocked. “I didn’t even know he had a little brother.”

Nobody really did, but that was okay. His brother has graduated four years ago already, so it’s not as if many people were able to tell, even if they did look somewhat similar.

“Are you going to do what I say, now?” Seungmin questions, giving him a crooked smile.

“You won fair and square, didn’t you?” Hyunjin sighs, getting closer to the Slytherin. “I can’t have my honor compromised.”

It makes Seungmin snicker and shake his head.

“Silly lion,” Seungmin teases, as he cocks his head to the side and makes a face of disbelief. “There are more important things than honor.”

Hyunjin stares at him with a raised brow. “Like what?”

Seungmin chuckles. “That you’ll have to find out for yourself.”

“What does that mean?” Hyunjin asks, looking at him contemplatively. The wind whips past them, making Hyunjin’s somewhat long locks dance in the breeze.

“Not sure either,” Seungmin shrugs before giving him a smile. “But when you find out, let me know.”

With that, Seungmin flies down to the group of students on the ground, feeling Hyunjin’s eyes on him all the way through. As soon as he lands, the Ravenclaws crowd him immediately, commenting about his play and encouraging him to join the Slytherin Quidditch Team, despite the fact that tryouts are long over.

“That was sexy,” Changbin grins, giving him a hug before taking his Firebolt from Seungmin.

“You should have seen the Gryffindor Team’s face!” someone pipes up.

“That was awesome, Seungmin!” another one cheers.

Later, when all have finished celebrating (Ravenclaws) and downplaying Seungmin’s strategy (Gryffindors), Seungmin goes up to Jeongin and puts his arm around the younger boy’s shoulders. He feels good, showcasing a side of him to people that he doesn’t usually show, and being rewarded with mostly good reactions.

“Ready to eat dinner?” Seungmin asks.

“Starving.”

For whatever reason, Seungmin looks back again. As usual, Hyunjin is smiling at him before giving him a wave goodbye. Or is it a wave hello? Seungmin isn’t sure. What surprises him, as well as Hyunjin, is when he finds his free hand waving back.

Seungmin quickly turns around after, the back of his ears feeling warm for Merlin knows why.

***

Seungmin likes Potions. In fact, it’s one of his favorite subjects offered at Hogwarts. But what’s unfortunate about this is the fact that N.E.W.T. level Potions isn’t separated by Houses because it’s not required for everyone to take, which means only a select number of students are in this class.

While Seungmin is exceptional at ignoring those who don’t deserve his attention, it’s getting quite difficult with both Hyunjin and Jisung’s nonstop tomfoolery right behind him.

They’re supposed to be making the Draught of Living Death today, and Professor Slughorn just announced the fact that he’ll be splitting the class so that the students can work on it in pairs.

“It’s a great way to interact with students from other Houses,” Professor Slughorn clarifies as he reads off the names working as duos. Seungmin isn’t keen on working with others, trusts himself more than his fellow classmates when it comes to important things like education, but Professor Slughorn said they must work in pairs, so Seungmin has little choice on the matter.

“Han Jisung and Hwang Yeji,” Professor Slughorn says, checking off students one-by-one.

“Yes!” Jisung exclaims with a fist just as Seungmin hears a low but horrified “No…”

Professor Slughorn lists off the names, thinks he hears Changbin with Chaeyoung and Felix with Chaewon and honestly can Professor Slughorn just get to-

“Kim Seungmin with—”

Seungmin sucks in a breath.

“Hwang Hyunjin.”

Oh, sweet Merlin on cauldron cakes. His day is getting progressively worse and worse.

“But, sir…”

“No buts, Seungmin. The pairs are final,” he wheezes out and continues where he left off. “Choi Bomin with Na Jaemin... “

“Yay!” Hyunjin cheers as he gathers his belongings and makes his way next to Seungmin. “I’m so glad we’re partners, _Partner_.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes so far back his head he thinks he sees his brain. He feels a headache forming, and the pain has a strange resemblance to the sound of Hwang Hyunjin’s voice.

“Horklump,” Seungmin greets as he gently pushes his items to the side to make room for Hyunjin and his belongings. “Let’s divide the steps so that both of us have an equal chance of learning it.”

Hyunjin nods eagerly, giving him a bright smile.

“Have you handled Sopophorous beans before?” Seungmin asks him.

“Sopapa what?”

Figures. This is going to be a long day for Seungmin.

Hyunjin opens their textbook to the correct page and reads aloud the instructions on how to correctly prepare the Draught of Living Death. “One. Add the Infusion of Wormwood. Two. Add the powdered root of asphodel. Three. Stir clockwise. Four- whoa, wait, it says here we have to use sloth brains?”

“Why don’t you go and find asphodel roots and sloth brains while I get us the Wormwood from the stockroom?” Seungmin suggests, hoping Hyunjin would say yes. The less time they spend together talking, the better.

Hyunjin agrees and makes his way to the drawer of ingredients. Seungmin, on the other hand, goes to the stockroom and locates the vials that contain the Infusion of Wormwood. He sees a couple of people in there already, rifling through a cabinet that seems to have what they need for this potion.

Seeing Yeji reaching for it, Seungmin comes up to her.

“How’s it going with your partner?” Seungmin asks as he grabs two small containers of the Infusion of Wormwood.

“As good as can be, I guess,” Yeji sighs. “Honestly, I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing most of the work, but that’s fine. At least this way, we’ll get a decent score on it. How about you and lover boy?”

“He’s hopeless,” Seungmin answers, pursing his lips. “Though he must have been good at Potions if he’s able to attend N.E.W.T. level classes. Professor Slughorn doesn’t accept students with anything other than Outstanding or Exceed Expectations in the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations.”

Yeji snorts. “You know full well I’m not talking about his grades in the O.W.L.s.”

She cocks an eyebrow, and Seungmin looks down. “It’s not like that. I’m sure he’s just messing with me, and to put it frankly, I find him more of a pest than anything.”

“Oh, yeah?” She leans in and whispers to him so that only he can hear. “Then why is he staring at us right now, looking like he’s ready to jinx me for standing too close to you?”

Seungmin sneaks a glance across the room, and sure enough, Hyunjin is giving Yeji a death glare of some sort. But when Hyunjin and Seungmin make eye contact, the older boy huffs and immediately start on powdering the root of asphodel.

Yeji takes one of the vials from Seungmin’s grip, giving him a smug look.

“Case closed.” She says and winks before strutting back to her seat.

That can’t be true. Quidditch Captain Hyunjin having actual feelings for stickler Head Boy Seungmin? Can’t be right… Right? Hyunjin is gorgeous and popular and somewhat of a celebrity in Hogwarts, Seungmin knows this much. And he’s positive that there are countless witches and wizards vying for his attention and lining up to spend even a day with him. Hyunjin can’t possibly have any type of feelings for Seungmin, no matter how small it may be, when he can basically get anyone he wants. Right?

And yet, Seungmin finds himself thinking of the possibility of it all. Seungmin behind Hyunjin, grabbing onto his waist as they fly over the Forbidden Forest on Hyunjin’s broomstick. Seungmin and Hyunjin sneaking glances during Transfiguration lessons, much to the obliviousness of Professor Murbone. Seungmin and Hyunjin enchanting notes to fly between them during boring classes. Seungmin and Hyunjin in the Greenhouse, talking about the rare plants and their properties, and Hyunjin conjuring flowers out of nowhere. Hyunjin slinking out of the Gryffindor Common Room to spend time with Seungmin as he does his Head Boy duties and nightly patrol on the Hogwarts Corridor. Seungmin and Hyunjin kissing above the sugar bowl in Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

Oh Merlin, the last one has Seungmin blushing a little bit. Seungmin shakes his head. He can’t get ahead of himself now. For one, he doesn’t even like Hyunjin like that. Sure, the Gryffindor is attractive, undeniably so, but there’s more to feelings than physical attraction. And yeah, Hyunjin can be funny sometimes, Seungmin will give him that. He’s also an exceptional Quidditch player and captain, a good combination of serious and playful. And he’s also talented in certain subjects, most specifically Defense Against the Dark Arts. And- And- Where was Seungmin going with this again?

In any case, Seungmin doesn’t have feelings for Hyunjin, at least not the romantic kind.

It’s with that thought that he marches back to their shared table. When he gets there, Hyunjin is powdering the root with the stone mortar and pestle. Though if you asked Seungmin, Hyunjin is using more force than necessary, which, what the heck?

“Well, you took long,” Hyunjin comments.

“Yeah, was catching up with Yeji for our Head duties.”

Hyunjin hums. They work in silence after that, Seungmin feeling the nearly tangible awkwardness that settles between them. 

Seungmin whips out his wand and points at the pit. He mutters the incantation for the Fire-Making Charm.

“Incendio.”

Watching the flame come alive, Seungmin places the cauldron right on top of it. He adds the Infusion of Wormwood after the copper container has begun heating up, but Hyunjin is still furiously powdering the root of asphodel.

“What’s taking so long?” Seungmin asks softly. “Do you need help?”

Hyunjin beats at the root repeatedly, lips forming a thin line as he does so. And then, he faces Seungmin with a look that makes the younger boy’s breath hitch a little. 

“Are you and Yeji dating?”

Seungmin chuckles nervously. “No. Why would you think that?”

Hyunjin shrugs, adding the powdered root of asphodel into the cauldron and starts stirring clockwise. Seungmin silently casts the Hover Charm to pick up the sloth brain and drops it into the cauldron once Hyunjin is finished stirring.

“I don’t know. You two just complement each other really nicely,” Hyunjin murmurs, scratching his nose. “Now that I think about it, you’re basically perfect for each other. Both purebloods. Both incredibly smart and resourceful. Both at the top of our class. You’re Head Boy and Head Girl for crying out loud.”

Seungmin laughs for lack of a better thing to do. “Despite our similarities, it’s probably our inability to settle differences that will lead to our downfall, Horklump. Give me a second.”

Seungmin takes a container and walks to the cupboards of ingredients, easily finding the drawer of Sopophorous beans and grabbing at least fifteen of them. When he gets back, Hyunjin gives him a soft smile.

“Five. Cut up twelve Sopophorous beans and add the juice into the cauldron.”

Seungmin uses the knife to start cutting into the Sopophorous beans, except when he tries to slice it, the smooth bean slides away from the sharp end of the knife. Seungmin has read about this. It’s like there’s a thin layer of protective metal that stops Seungmin from piercing it cleanly. He looks over to Hyunjin who’s releasing the juice of one bean into the potion.

“How are you doing that?” Seungmin asks. Hyunjin blinks at him.

“I use the flat side to crush it so it would squeeze the juice out better.”

Seungmin rereads the instructions. “But number five explicitly says to cut.”

Hyunjin scrunches his nose. “Well, we only need the juice right? Not the beans itself. I figured it’s a more efficient way of releasing the juice.”

Seungmin chews on his lips. He supposes Hyunjin’s right, even if his method is a little unorthodox. He starts crushing the beans with his knife as well.

“So tell me again how you and Yeji can’t settle differences.”

Seungmin glances at him, the look feeling a little too charged for such a commonplace question. “Regardless of what it seems like on the outside, we always butt heads when it comes to methods of Head duties. She’s just as stubborn as I am, if not more.”

Seungmin crushes another bean.

“And when we do get into arguments, I fight tooth and nail to show that my side is correct. Unsurprisingly, so does Yeji, but I’m always the one that ends up breaking.”

Seungmin squeezes the juice out of the Sopophorous bean and into the potion. He smirks as the droplets make the concoction sizzle.

“And that’s how we end before we even begin.”

Sighing, Seungmin faces Hyunjin only to see that the boy is staring at him with an inquisitive look on his face.

“Good call on the crushing, Horklump. We’ll make a potioneer out of you yet!”

Hyunjin beams at him, looking way too proud for such a small compliment.

Later when the class is almost over and a quarter of the students have given up, Seungmin and Hyunjin add the last finishing touches to the draught. When Professor Slughorn passes by their potion, he examines it over his nose before giving them a nod of approval.

“Excellent job, you two. Not quite perfect, but it’s the closest any pair in this class has gotten to concocting the Draught of Living Death this year.”

Seungmin cheers in his head as Hyunjin lets out a quick _ whoop whoop! _

When Professor Slughorn walks away, Hyujin punches the air in excitement and holds his hands up for a high-five. Seungmin snorts before clapping him.

Once the class is finished, Seungmin refuses to think about how his palms are still ringing. It’s not from pain, he knows, but something more like the buzz of a phantom touch.

***

“It was a pain, Innie! He took so long powdering the root of asphodel,” Seungmin complains as he thinks of his next move. They’re currently at the Great Hall post-dinner, choosing to forego Friday night get-togethers for some games of Wizard’s Chess. They’re using a crystal and dragonglass set given to Seungmin during his third year for Christmas, gifted by Chan who was a fellow Slytherin a year above him. Seungmin narrows his eyes at the pawn that seems to be unguarded. 

“Bishop to H3,” Seungmin commands. They watch as the bishop, jet black and flawless, glide across the board to H3 where it swings its staff to decimate the pawn there. Now in rubble, the pieces of the pawn hauls itself to the edge of the board where it reforms before lying dormant.

“Nice one. I’m sure he was just making sure it was finely powdered.” Jeongin tells him, scratching his chin as he thought of his next move. He takes a whole thirty seconds, eyes moving back and forth between squares as if he’s playing a film of the upcoming moves. And then Jeongin smirks, one that produces a bad feeling in Seungmin’s stomach. “Queen to H4.”

The queen drifts along the board, elegant and made of clear quartz, all the way to H4 where it stands in front of Seungmin’s bishop, looking high and intimidating.

“He didn’t even know what a Sopophorus bean was!” Seungmin groans. He squints, unable to predict what Jeongin is trying to do. Consider Seungmin intimidated though, and he decides to pull his bishop back by commanding it to return to D7.

“Yeah, but didn’t you say he was the one who gave you the idea to crush the beans and not cut it?” Jeongin ponders. There’s still an ominous smile gracing his lips. “Pawn to E5.”

“Yeah, but that’s besides the point,” Seungmin nods. He chews on his lip, wondering what Jeongin is doing. That pawn, as well as the one before, is up for the taking. Seungmin doesn’t see how that move is at all beneficial to him other than the fact that it allows him to move one of his bishops a couple more spaces. Seungmin goes for it. “Pawn to E5.”

They watch as Seungmin’s pawn, gleaming black, pulls out double swords and smashes the other pawn with them before taking its spot.

Jeongin hums, probably unsure what to say. He orders his knight to go to H5 where it gallops to the spot. Seungmin narrows his eyes. Jeongin is sacrificing his pieces left and right. What is happening? Seungmin shakes his head and continues to talk about Hyunjin.

“Anyway, Yeji also thinks Hyunjin actually, genuinely has feelings for me. Isn’t that preposterous?” Seungmin laughs as he directs his pawn to H5.

The pawn pulls out its sword and strikes the knight with double swords just like earlier. It takes the knight’s spot, cowering as it comes face-to-face with the queen sitting on pristinely on H4.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Jeongin comments with a raised eyebrow. Seungmin shrugs. _ It just is. _ Jeongin sighs. And then he’s instructing his queen to a square where Seungmin thinks is the last place the queen should go. “Queen to G5.”

The queen marches to the spot, taking out a large sword and pierces through the knight there. The knight crumbles into pieces, debris flying out as it does so. The chunks drag themselves to the edge of the board where it rebuilds itself to a horse and a resting knight. Like this, the queen checks Seungmin’s king, sitting nervously two spaces from the opposing queen.

“Well, I mean, he has so many other people lining up to date him, why would he choose someone as uncool as me?” Seungmin huffs. He wonders if Jeongin is using his queen as a sacrifice, and as much Seungmin wants to believe otherwise, he can’t forego the chance of taking out Jeongin’s queen, the most formidable piece on the set. Gulping, Seungmin orders, “Pawn to G5.”

The pawn clobbers the queen with two swords, and the queen falls with a deathly scream. 

“You’re not uncool? You’re the coolest person I know,” Jeongin provides with a soft smile. The words put Seungmin at ease, and he finds himself smiling back at his younger friend. 

“You’re the coolest person I know too, Innie.”

Jeongin makes a retching face. Figures. Seungmin slaps the younger boy's shoulder lightly.

“She might be right, you know. He does look at us a lot when we’re walking. And he does like to catch your attention with his rulebreaking and whatnot. So it’s not really that far fetched.” Jeongin shrugs. “Rook to F7.”

The castle piece glides across the board, going to F7 whose path was earlier blocked by the pawn that just destroyed the queen. Seungmin starts to get nervous. This means that the rook has the king checked, and the king cannot go to the rook as it’s guarded by Jeongin’s knight on H6. That’s okay though, the knight is up for grabs.

“You’re on her side now too?” Seungmin shakes his head as he commands the king to go to H6. They watch as the king uses its throne to smash the knight into pieces before placing it on the spot where the knight used to be and sitting on it.

“No. I’m just saying… it’s not entirely impossible. Just give a thought, maybe you might snag yourself a boyfriend this year.” Jeongin smirks. Perhaps there’s a little bit of truth in it, but Seungmin is too calculated and methodical to go for it.

“That’s not very likely,” grumbles Seungmin.

“Suit yourself,” Jeongin shrugs and gives him a shit-eating grin. “Anyways, checkmate. Rook to H7.”

“What?” Seungmin says in disbelief. He watches in horror as the rook slides from its spot to H7 where a frightened pawn is currently residing. The rook slams hard against the pawn, who shatters into pieces before towing itself to the side where it reassembles to its usual form. 

And sure enough, Seungmin’s king is trapped with a rook in front of it and his own two pawns behind. The only move is to use the king to destroy the rook but that can’t work either since there’s a bishop in its line of sight, the one that was freed from a while ago. The king stands up, saluting, before falling down in dramatic fashion.

“How are you so good at this?” Seungmin complains.

Jeongin chuckles at Seungmin’s loss.

“I’m a master.”

***

Seungmin doesn’t attend the Quidditch game despite his friends' constant invitations. First of all, he still has to finish reading about wandlore history for History of Magic. He also hasn’t started on the essay about the Advantages of Human Transfiguration and its Many Side Effects, and that’s due this upcoming Friday. That’s basically tomorrow!

Even though it’s only the start of the weekend, Seungmin still has the drowning feeling of being swamped with work for some reason. He settles himself in the Slytherin Common Room to do his work since he likes the ambiance of the place. The dark tones partnered with the bright emerald green tinge on the walls and furniture are easy on his eyes and calming to his mind. It's perfect for studying. Surprisingly, there aren’t many students in the common room today, which is ideal since he needs some peace and quiet to do his work.

He’s halfway done with his essay when the sun has started to set and students begin barging in in droves. Seungmin turns around, sees how most of them are wearing bronze and royal blue face paint, while a select few are splattered in red and gold. Ah, the Quidditch game must have just finished.

Seungmin wonders if he could conjure a protective charm that would reduce the noise in his surrounding vicinity, but figures it’s too much of a hassle to produce a bubble small enough to cover just his own personal space yet strong enough to soften all the voices in the room. If Seungmin knew anything about Quidditch nights, it’s that students whose Houses didn’t participate usually stayed up and talked about the game for the whole evening, whereas students whose Houses _ did _participate ended up either celebrating their victory all night (great since it’s the weekend) or went straight to their rooms from the loss.

Deciding that it’s no use to finish his work right now, Seungmin stands up and exits, greeting the small number of people who says hello to him as he passes them by.

Maybe a good bath at the Prefects’ Bathroom would be perfect to soothe his slightly stressed self. With an affirmative nod, he quickly makes his way to the fifth floor corridor. He wonders who won the match today, hopes it was Ravenclaw just because Changbin is his friend and Hyunjin annoys him. He passes by the funny statue of Boris the Bewildered and counts until he’s at the fourth door.

“Lemon Zest.”

The walls make a gurgling sound at the password before the door slowly swings open to reveal the inside of the Prefects’ Bathroom. On the far side of the room are stained glass windows designed with paintings of rocks in different colors and mermaids with scales glinting in various color combinations. He’s surprised to see that the pool-like tub in the center is nearly full, the golden faucets surrounding it running with water.

Squinting, Seungmin sees a figure on the right side of the pool submerged up to their chest. Walking closer, he realizes that it’s actually Hyunjin. Hyunjin has both arms spread out and settled on the tiles by his side. He has his head tilted up, resting on the marble tiles there with his eyes closed. His long hair sticks to his face in waves, some curled on his forehead, others on his ears.

Hyunjin has always been attractive, Seungmin knows this. But this close, resting and seemingly at peace, Seungmin thinks Hyunjin looks ethereal. Otherworldly. There are droplets of water surrounding his face and shoulder, and Seungmin gulps when one of them slides down from his cheeks all the way to his neck. He must have swallowed too loudly because Hyunjin quickly opens his eyes and turns to Seungmin in shock.

Oh, this is awkward. Seungmin coughs, hopes Hyunjin doesn’t think him weird for staring at him while he takes what seems to be a nice, relaxing bath. To relieve the suffocating tension between them, Seungmin decides to break the silence.

“Wh-What are you doing here?”

Hyunjin snorts, cupping his hands to splash his face with the water. The only noise in the room is the sound the water makes as they bounce off of Hyunjin's face. It echoes against the walls. Hyunjin takes a while to breathe before he answers.

“Quidditch Captains can use this bathroom too,” Hyunjin says, voice cracking at the last word. Seungmin thinks he detects a higher pitch in Hyunjin’s tone too. And upon closer inspection, Seungmin notices how his eyes are a little red-rimmed. And Merlin's socks!

“Shit, Hork-" Seungmin starts before stopping himself. Perhaps that nickname isn't the best to use right now. "Hyunjin, a-are you crying?”

Seungmin looks around to see what he can use to make Hyunjin stop, or maybe even find someone in this stupid place that can help him. He facepalms when he realizes he’s in the Prefects’ Bathroom, exclusive to Prefects, Heads, and Quidditch Captains only. So the chances of finding anyone here is close to zilch. He thinks about going outside and calling for help, except that would be dumb since a weeping Hyunjin doesn’t need ‘help’ from strangers. 

And okay, Seungmin’s lowkey panicking because he’s never seen Hyunjin cry past their third year, even though their first three years at Hogwarts was spent with Hyunjin tearing up almost every weekend.

“No?” Hyunjin answers, nose sounding a little clogged. Realizing that nobody will be coming to his rescue, Seungmin makes his way towards the older boy. He slinks off his boots and places them gingerly on the side. He also relieves himself of his cloak, folding it neatly next to his boots before cuffing his trousers and going to sit on the tiles next to Hyunjin, immersing his feet on the water.

“It’s okay to cry, you know,” Seungmin finds himself saying. Perhaps he has a soft spot in his heart for students who cry, even if they _are_ annoying. Though Seungmin doesn’t truly get along with Hyunjin, he also doesn’t want him to spend these lonely moments alone. Plus, they’ve also gotten a little closer after that Potions class, didn’t they? Seungmin hopes this isn’t too intrusive. “Your feelings are valid.”

Hyunjin looks up at him with teary eyes and gives him a watery smile. “Thanks.”

And Seungmin. Seungmin likes to feel comforted when he gets too emotional. Usually, a good rub on the back or the warmth of holding hands makes him feel a lot calmer and more at ease when dealing with a harsh wave of emotions. He assumes Hyunjin’s probably the same. And seeing as he’s not one to rub a wet, naked back, Seungmin goes for Hyunjin hand and holds it.

“Is this okay?” Seungmin asks, motioning at their entwined fingers. Hyunjin stares at it for a bit too long before he glances up at Seungmin with a teary nod. Seungmin gives him a reassuring smile. “May I ask why you’re crying?”

Hyunjin gulps, shaking his head for a little bit. He closes his eyes and inhales, probably trying to compose himself, Seungmin presumes.

“It’s stupid,” Hyunjin begins, looking down at the water. Seungmin keeps his eyes on Hyunjin’s face because he doesn’t want to look down in case the older boy went in the tub with minimal clothing. “We lost today, and I feel like the worst captain right now. I should have saved those goals, I know I could have. I was just so distracted.”

Ah. Gryffindors lost the match. Right this moment, seeing how much Hyunjin is so torn up from the loss, Seungmin has half a mind to retract his earlier statement. He’s not quite sure he wants Gryffindor to lose, if this is how Hyunjin is going to react to it.

“It’s okay,” Seungmin shushes, squeezing Hyunjin’s hand for a quick second. “You can’t change the past. The only thing you can do now is try to do better moving forward.” 

Seungmin feels a little embarrassed for who knows why. Maybe it’s the way that Hyunjin is staring at him right now, half grateful, half in awe, and wholly beautiful.

“Obliterate the other team in the next match,” Seungmin tells him, which makes Hyunjin chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hyunjin replies, sighing. Seungmin sees the way Hyunjin’s bare shoulders rise and fall with the action. “I think I just need to get out and have a bit of fun to get my mood up.”

While Seungmin isn’t one to overthink too much, he does partake in it once in a while. One of those times is now. Did Hyunjin hint at the fact that he wants to spend some time ‘out’ with Seungmin? If so, is he implying that Seungmin’s company is fun and gets his mood up? Seungmin thinks that that’s a little too over the top, a bit too close to unrealistic thinking. But Hyunjin is eyeing him from the side with a tight-lipped smile, looking almost _ shy _ . And Seungmin can’t help but think that Hyunjin _ must _ have said that last line for him.

“Here’s a crazy idea,” Seungmin begins. He doesn’t even know why he’s a little nervous. This is just for Hyunjin, after all. It's simply to get Hyunjin's energy back, Seungmin reasons. “If you want, since it’ll be the weekend still, we can go to Hogsmeade tomorrow to get your mind off of things.”

“Bighead Boy," Hyunjin blinks up at him, lips quirking up to a bright grin. _That_ looks more like the Hyunjin that Seungmin is used to brushing off. "Are you asking me out on a date?”

“A date? Pfft, no, of course not,” Seungmin sputters. This is not a date. This is the farthest thing from a date. “That’s preposterous, Horklump. I see someone who needs some cheering up, so I’m offering my support.”

“Well, thank you,” Hyunjin nods, giving Seungmin’s hands a tight squeeze. And oh, Seungmin totally forgot that they were holding hands in the first place. Hyunjin then brings Seungmin’s hand up to eye-level before leering at Seungmin as he gives the back of the younger’s hand a chaste kiss. “I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you.”

Seungmin hisses, retracting his hands quickly. “Maybe Hogsmeade isn’t the best of ideas.”

“Wait, no, I’m joking! I’ll stop, please,” Hyunjin begs, reaching for Seungmin’s palm. Seungmin relents and lets Hyunjin hold it to make himself feel better.

The Slytherin just shakes his head, wondering how they even became like this when just at the beginning of the year, Seungmin had swatted Hyunjin’s hand for offering his help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think so far?
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!!


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops another chapter* Here you go!
> 
> This is self-edited, so I'm sure there will be mistakes. Sorry for that!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!! I am very much in love with the Harry Potter universe and may go a bit too into detail of things. So if you have any questions about anything, please just ask!

“That’s a date. That’s a whole ass date.”

“No, it’s not,” Seungmin sighs. He knew this would happen. He never should have told Felix about their Hogsmeade trip. “I’m just… trying to cheer him up. You should have seen him, Felix. He was really beating himself up over losing.”

“I know a date when I see one, and this? You and Hyunjin going to Hogsmeade, traipsing through the snow and going to Madam Puddifoot’s? Eating sweets at Honeydukes? Looking through Scrivenshaft’s? Probably going to The Three Broomsticks after? It’s a date.”

“Call it what you want, Felix. But date is not it,” Seungmin argues, crossing his arms. “A date is when you and Changbin went to The Three Broomsticks, drank some, and then went to the area with the best view of the Shrieking Shack, and _ stayed _ there for a couple hours.”

“Really?” Felix deadpans. 

“We’re just going to be store hopping,” Seungmin defends.

“If it isn’t a date, then would you let me come?” Felix asks, smirking.

“What? No, absolutely not. You two don’t even know each other that well.”

It’s not because he wants to be alone with Hyunjin. He just thinks that it’s best if Hyunjin hangs out with people he knows well to make himself feel better. Felix doesn’t seem to take it that way though.

“This is what I mean!” Felix replies, placing both of his hands on Seungmin’s shoulder and shaking him a little. “It’s a whole ass date.”

“It really isn’t. If anything it’s more- oh god, I think I see him. Leave!” Seungmin slaps Felix’s hands off of him before ushering him away.

“I’m leaving! Chill,” Felix says grumpily, hands in the air.

Just as Felix starts walking away, Seungmin hears Hyunjin's chirpy voice.

“Hey, Seungmin!” Hyunjin greets. A knitted scarf is woven around his neck, while his body is clad with an oversized jacket. His ears are red from the cold, as is his nose, and his voice comes out in a puff of smoke. Yet somehow, he still looks extraordinarily good that it kind of takes Seungmin’s breath away.

“Ready to go, Horklump?” Seungmin asks. But before Hyunjin has a chance to answer, Felix interrupts them from the distance.

“Have fun on your date!” Felix yells. Seungmin pinches the bridge of his nose as Hyunjin turns to him sharply. He’s holding an accusatory finger towards Seungmin.

“So this_ is _ a date!”

Oh Merlin. Seungmin’s day is going to be long.

Seungmin spends the entire road to Hogsmeade talking about how this isn’t a date at all, and it’s just two friends hanging out. He makes sure to put an emphasis on _ friends _ and the fact that the purpose of this is to make Hyunjin forget about the Quidditch loss to the Ravenclaws.

When they get to High Street, Seungmin admires the sight. The sidewalk has a thin layer of snow, hinting that autumn is long gone. The harsh wind has an icy bite that can only mean that winter is coming. Students and local residents mill about the streets alike, covered up in thick clothing and extra protective charms from the cold weather.

“You know, what would make me feel better is if this was actually a date,” Hyunjin adds. Seungmin gently slaps him on the arm.

“You keep making the same jokes. It’s getting boring,” he snorts. “Are you feeling better than yesterday though?”

Hyunjin looks over at him, giving him a soft smile. His expression looks even softer with the snowy background and the muted skies.

“I am now.”

“Good,” Seungmin says. “I was thinking we should go to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.”

Hyunjin does a double-take, and Seungmin can see the confusion in his eyes as he stutters. “Oh? A-Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Seungmin nods, putting his hands deep in his pocket. “I’ve always wanted to try the tea. And I’ve never been there before so lead the way!”

Hyunjin walks ahead of him, the older’s ear burning red much to Seungmin’s amusement. It’s not _ that _ cold. They make a turn on one of the side road, passing by people who seem entirely too happy standing around. Just up ahead, there’s a little tea shop that seems a little too cramped from the outside.

The sign at the top reads Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. A bell rings softly when they enter. As Seungmin predicted, the inside is a little small, but he supposes the lack of space is what makes it cozy and gives it a comfy feel. The tables are decorated with bows and other frilly decors that make Seungmin’s eyebrows rise.

“I didn’t think it’d be so pink.” Seungmin blurts out, a little shocked. Hyunjin, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be perturbed by the unusual design. They go toward a table near the window, a spot with the least amount of people in the surrounding area.

“There are so many couples,” Seungmin mentions. He hopes Hyunjin doesn’t find it weird that he chose this. Seungmin didn’t know it would be like this! Honest.

“W-Well, this place is usually for couples…” Hyunjin trails off, before beaming at Seungmin. “But I mean, it could be for friends too?”

“Ah, okay. I didn’t realize.”

They order caffeine and pastries, Hyunjin settling for a cup of coffee and cauldron cakes while Seungmin goes for tea with milk and pumpkin pasties.

In the time it takes for their food and beverage to arrive, they’re already deep in conversation about the difficulty of balancing academics with extra-curricular activities, Seungmin with being Head Boy and Hyunjin with his Quidditch responsibilities.

Hyunjin adds a dollop of cream and a ton of sugar cubes into his coffee. Seungmin gives him a questioning look, one that Hyunjin seems to find off-putting.

“What? I like my coffee sweet.”

Seungmin should have known. He does seem to be the type.

They learn each other’s basic information after that, like how many siblings Hyunjin has. _ You’re an only child? That... makes perfect sense. _ And if he has any hobbies. _ What the heck is Pokemon? _ And has he ever gone to the Quidditch World Cup. _ What do you mean not even once? You have to go. You’re Quidditch Captain! _

“Well, it’s not like I have parents who’d be willing to go with me. They can’t just drop work to attend a sporting event, especially not one where they have no clue how it works.”

While that makes sense, Seungmin still feels a little bad that Hyunjin hasn’t gone to a real, live professional Quidditch match. He can’t help but wonder how it would be like if he invited Hyunjin to go to one with his family. That might be weird though. Even though his parents are pretty progressive for a pureblooded family, Seungmin also has not brought any friend home for any reason. A touchy, good-looking Hyunjin will definitely give them the wrong idea.

Hyunjin in turn also learns quite a few things about Kim Seungmin, like the fact that he’s a morning person. _ You are? Yuck! It literally takes a whole Caterwauling Charm to wake me up. _ And that Seungmin likes to read. _ Yeah, I kind of assumed that. You seem like the type. _ He also learns that strawberries are one of Seungmin’s favorite fruit. _ Why strawberries though? _ To which Seungmin replied with _ They’re delicious in their own right but tastes even better when melted with chocolate _.

“My lips taste good melted with chocolate too.”

Seungmin swears he almost jinxed Hyunjin right then and there.

Once they’ve finished and paid, they move on to Honeydukes, perusing the different types of sweets they have. Seungmin has somewhat of a sweet tooth, but Hyunjin even more so. It’s quite disconcerting, actually.

Inside Honeydukes are tens and tens of Hogwarts students looking to buy some sugar to fill their teenage stomachs. There are rows upon rows of various types of sweets, ranging from bars of chocolates, cream-colored nougats, brittle flakes of toffee to colorful bubblegum, scented mints, and even candy tarts. Columns of candies decorate the walls, certainly offered in different flavors that it almost looks like a sweet factory.

Seungmin ends up buying a small box of Chocolate Cauldrons and some Crystallized Pineapples. Hyunjin, on the other hand, settles for some classic Chocolate Frogs, some Sugar Quills, and a medium-sized box of Fizzing Whizzbees.

“Wait, I want to try one of those too,” Hyunjin pointed at the section that had the sign _ Unusual Tastes _.

Hyunjin takes him by the hand and pulls him along, and Seungmin’s lets himself be pulled for a lack of better things to do.

“What should I try?” Hyunjin asks as he browses the different types of sweets with irregular tastes. “How about these?”

Hyunjin holds up blood-flavored lollipops, and Seungmin shakes his head.

“I don’t think you’d like those. I heard it’s geared towards the taste buds of vampires, so unless you like to bite people on the neck and bleed them dry, I don’t think that’s for you.”

Hyunjin deflates but keeps on skimming through the section. Seungmin finds a rather interesting candy that he thinks Hyunjin might want to try.

“How about these?” He holds up a bag of Cockroach Clusters. Hyunjin inspects the bag and makes a face.

“Is it made of real cockroaches?”

Seungmin scrunches his nose. “Most likely. Do you want to try one? I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Flume wouldn’t mind if you take one just to taste it.”

Hyunjin eyes the glass box full of Cockroach Clusters.

“Oh, what the heck.” Hyunjin immediately opens the glass container and takes one out. Without breaking eye contact with Seungmin, he pops one into his mouth and starts chewing. Instantly, he closes his eyes tightly and makes a sour face.

“Is it that bad?” Seungmin asks, scouring the place for water. But then Hyunjin’s expression is back to normal, smiling at Seungmin a little bit.

“It’s not that bad, actually,” he shrugs before swallowing. “It tastes like peanuts! But like, caramelized peanuts.”

“Take a bag and let's pay for these.”

They end up spending 4 golden galleons and 6 silver sickles in total. Bags of sweets in hand, they make their way to Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop.

“Why do you need to go?” Hyunjin asks, munching on one of his Chocolate Frogs.

“It’s not that I _ need _ to go. I just like looking at the different types of quills they carry,” Seungmin answers as they march on the sidewalk. “You mean quills don’t fascinate you at all?”

Hyunjin shrugs. “What’s there to be fascinated about? They’re bird feathers. And you use the hard shaft to write. I don’t think it’s very magical at all. You should see gel pens!”

“Well that’s where you’re wrong. Quills are plenty magical,” Seungmin bites back as he opens the door to the quill shop. “There’s a nice variety of quills out there, some plain, others more fancy-looking, and some enhanced with great magic.”

“I mean, if you’re into it, I’m sure it sounds cool,” Hyunjin gives him an apologetic smile.

“They are!” Seungmin agrees as he browses through the enchanted quills. “Obviously we can use different feathers from different birds like eagles, pheasants, even peacock! I think we can use phoenix feathers too but don’t quote me on that.”

Hyunjin nods.

“I have a collection, actually.” Seungmin confesses, which produces a soft laugh from the older boy.

“Of course you do. I should have known.”

“There are many magical quills like Quick-Quotes Quills, Spell-Checking Quills, Auto-Answer Quills, and even Anti-Cheating Quills!” Seungmin points out as he examines a rather handsome blue-and-bronze quill. Seungmin checks the price and puts it back. He doesn’t need to spend 7 galleons on a mere quill, regardless of how beautiful it is.

“That’s actually pretty cool,” Hyunjin admits. “I wonder how it can spell check or even auto answer.”

Seungmin shrugs. “Magic.”

They end up surveying much of the selection, but he ends up reexamining the blue-and-bronze quill more than five times. It seems that none of the quills had struck Seungmin as much as the handsome quill did.

With a sigh, Seungmin calls Hyunjin so that they could go to their next destination.

“Nothing catch your eye?” Hyunjin asks.

“One did, but I don’t think it’s necessary to buy,” Seungmin shrugs. “Where do you want to go next?”

“How about The Three Broomsticks? I think a pint of Firewhisky sounds good after walking so much.”

The trek to the tiny inn doesn’t take long, but they still end up freezing in the short distance due to the harsh bite of the winter weather. The Three Broomsticks is crowded, though the noise and warmth gave it a rather home-y feel, not unlike a large family get-together on Christmas Eve.

“I’ll get us the drinks,” Hyunjin offers. “Why don’t you go and find us a table?”

Seungmin snorts. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re just going there to ogle at curvy Madam Rosmerta.”

Hyunjin rolls his eyes. “Well then, good thing you know better.”

Hyunjin turns around and makes a beeline for the counter, leaving a rather confused Seungmin in his spot. Seungmin finds a small table near the window and right next to the fireplace. It’s pretty nice, considering how warm the fire feels. Hyunjin comes back five minutes later, holding onto a tankard of foaming butterbeer and a pint of what seems to be Firewhisky.

“I hope the Firewhisky is for you,” Seungmin says, accepting the butterbeer.

“It is,” Hyunjin answers, gingerly taking the seat across Seungmin’s. “Do you not like it?”

“Haven’t tried it, though I’m pretty positive that I won’t like it at all.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” Hyunjin asks, teasing.

“My friends all say it burns,” Seungmin clarifies. “Though I’m not sure if it’s the same burn as spice. I can’t handle spice very well. A couple bites, and I start sweating buckets.”

“You should try it once! It’s not that bad, come on.”

Seungmin shakes his head in refusal. 

It’s minutes and minutes of cajoling from Hyunjin’s end when Seungmin finally relents. Hyunjin goes on about how life is short and that they should use the time they have to explore everything and that new experiences are always worth it and honestly, Seungmin only agrees to drink it so Hyunjin would shut up.

Hyunjin watches him eagerly as he takes the pint of Firewhisky and brings it close to his face. It smells, strangely, of oak and coconut and a little bit like smoke. Releasing a heavy breath, Seungmin takes a quick gulp of it.

The Firewhisky sears Seungmin’s throat. It’s not bitter, and the fiery sensation from his throat spreads up to his cheeks. It gives him an odd sort of revitalizing energy that he didn’t think would come from the drink.

“So? How is it?” Hyunjin asks, smiling.

“It burns.”

“Well of course it does! It’s not called _ Fire _whisky for no reason!” Hyunjin laughs. He takes a mouthful of Firewhisky before saying, “Would you excuse me? I have to go to the bathroom.”

Just as Seungmin is about to answer, Hyunjin turns around and leaves. If he seemed to be in a hurry, Seungmin doesn’t say anything. Seungmin simply sits there and people-watch. Sipping on his hot butterbeer, he takes note of the people sitting around. He sees how some of them are grinning and having fun, while others sit more mellowed, smiling. He lets time pass him by, and when he looks down at his pocket watch, it’s to see that Hyunjin has been gone for more than five minutes.

And while Seungmin is not usually one to overthink, he wonders if there’s a chance Hyunjin might have left him right now. Upon closer inspection, he concludes that that’s not very Hyunjin-like. He’s too nice for that, right?

And just as Seungmin is on the verge of doubting him, Hyunjin skids to his seat, face pale and hair in disarray and dusted with snow.

“Did you go outside?” Seungmin questions.

“Huh? Oh- oh yes,” Hyunjin gulps. “I went outside because the bathroom here was out of order.”

“So you went outside to… pee on the streets?” Seungmin asks incredulously.

“No! No, god no. I used the bathroom from the other pub, The Hog’s Head. Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, the one handled by that grumpy, old man.”

They spend the next hour talking about whatever topic that comes to mind. Seungmin ends up taking more sips of Firewhisky just to make himself feel warmer. Hyunjin steals a couple of mouthfuls from Seungmin’s butterbeer, but that’s okay.

When the sun is at the edge and is about to begin setting, they make haste to go back to Hogwarts. The walk isn’t long when one has someone to keep them company the whole way. Perhaps the back of Seungmin’s hand brushes against Hyunjin’s multiple times, but neither of them does anything about it.

Finally reaching the entrance of the castle, Hyunjin and Seungmin bid each other goodbye. The hall is nearly empty, except for some loitering first years and couple of ghosts gliding by.

“I had a lot of fun today,” Hyunjin confesses, hands behind his back. “I’m glad you went to Hogsmeade with me.”

“It was no problem, truly,” Seungmin says, rubbing the back of his neck. “As long as you’re feeling better, I suppose.”

“I am!” Hyunjin admits. “My mood has gone way, way up.”

Seungmin nods.

"This is a token of gratitude, by the way," Hyunjin begins, holding up a little bag with a logo Seungmin is very much familiar with. Seungmin takes it slowly, wondering when Hyunjin had done this. Looking inside the bag, Seungmin sees the handsome blue-and-bronze quill that he had been eyeing multiple times at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Seungmin pulls it out and inspects it, a fluttery feeling blooming inside his chest.

"I saw you examining it," Hyunjin explains as he scratches his nose. "I thought maybe you could add it to your quill collection."

"Ah, thank you. This would go wonderfully with my collection," Seungmin replies, holding the quill and bag close to his chest. "When did you-"

Seungmin gasps. "You didn't need to go to the bathroom, did you?"

Hyunjin mimes locking his lips and throwing the keys away, but the upward tilt of his lips tells Seungmin otherwise.

They stand in front of each other for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything," Seungmin tries.

"That's okay," Hyunjin shrugs. "Your company was good enough."

And just as he thinks they’re about to say goodbye and go their separate ways, Hyunjin looks around before leaning in and giving Seungmin a peck on the cheek.

“See you tomorrow!” Hyunjin says when he pulls back, immediately turning around and bounding up the staircase in a hurry.

Seungmin holds the spot where Hyunjin kissed, flustered and a little uncertain what to do. What just happened? Did Hyunjin gift Seungmin a quill without him asking for it? Did Hyunjin actually kiss him? Did anyone see? Oh Merlin, did Seungmin actually like it?

He can’t help but feel a thrum of excited energy humming softly on his skin. It’s wild. When he gets to his bed, he instantly plops down onto it, puffing up some dust particles that are interestingly shaped like hearts. Funny. He ends up falling asleep thinking about snow, sweets, and kisses on the cheeks.

When Seungmin wakes up, he feels a little bit like screaming. Was yesterday even real? Did yesterday even happen? One look at his bedside table tells him that yesterday was not, in fact, a dream since he can see the handsome quill Hyunjin had bought him the day before. He _ squee_s into his pillow silently, thrashing his legs as he does so. So perhaps, Seungmin and Hyunjin are on their way to becoming_ a thing _. He’s not quite sure, but that’s what it seems like from what happened yesterday. He hopes he’s not wrong and making a fool of himself by assuming the situation from Hyunjin’s actions, but it’s getting hard to deny the flirtatious looks and provocative comments that Hyunjin more than happily throws his way.

Though if Seungmin is being honest with himself, does he even want to deny them at this point?

Seungmin goes through the day in a sort of foggy daze. He’s not quite sure what it is, but he supposes it’s close to the feeling of contentment and unexplainable joy that a Cheering Charm would induce him under.

Seungmin finds that his mood has stayed relatively good the whole day. Not even Professor Vector’s boring lecture on the Theory of Numerology had gotten him down. He also seemed to be more lenient on rules today, letting a third year, who didn’t have a tie on, pass him by without so much as a word. Once, he saw a couple of fifth years with tongues in each other’s mouths near the entrance to the dungeons, and Seungmin had walked by without reprimanding them for showing too much public display of affection.

When his classes end, he immediately goes to the Slytherin Common Room to finish some paperwork and finds that it’s hard to not think about a certain Gryffindor.

***

It’s a couple weeks of sneaking glances and shy smiles when something happens. There’s another Quidditch match, a clash between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. With a few hours before sunset, Seungmin finally leaves the dormitory, donning his thicker robes due to the decreasing temperature, and a little ribbon he made for a certain Quidditch player.

Jeongin and Changbin are already at the Great Hall waiting for him when he gets there. Changbin gives him a wave. Changbin, despite being a Ravenclaw, has a whole face painted with Hufflepuff colors.

“Took you long enough,” says the older boy.

“Had assignments that required my attention,” Seungmin shrugs. “Hufflepuff colors? Whipped much?”

And before Changbin can say anything else, Jeongin is pulling both of them by the hand with an impatient huff.

“Come on, you guys. We’re going to miss it if we stay here catching up!”

They make it to the Quidditch pitch with little time left before the players have to go to the team rooms.

Seungmin turns around to face the two Ravenclaws.

“I’ll meet you both up there. I just have to tell the Gryffindor Quidditch Team something,” Seungmin reasons, hopes his neck doesn’t look as hot as it feels.

Changbin and Jeongin laugh.

“You mean you’re going to give Hyunjin a pep talk,” Jeongin teases. He’s not wrong.

“Alright, we’ll leave you lovebirds to it,” Changbin says as he pulls Jeongin away. “Don’t take too long! Otherwise, I’m going to have to surrender your seat to Renjun.”

“Don’t you dare!” Seungmin warns with a fist.

When they’ve left Seungmin alone, Seungmin encourages himself to just do it. He spots the clump of Gryffindor Quidditch players, adorned with scarlet and gold, kind of huddled near the entrance of the Quidditch pitch, and Seungmin wonders if this is the best idea. He takes a few steps towards them before his spirit falters. Maybe it would be best to talk to him after the game.

Except before he can do anything, Jisung notices him and taps Hyunjin on the shoulder. Seungmin sees how, once Jisung started talking to Hyunjin, the older boy began to look around until he found Seungmin’s eyes. Hyunjin gives him a thousand-watt smile and a small wave, one that Seungmin can’t help but return. And then Hyunjin seems to excuse himself from his team as he jogs over to where Seungmin is standing.

It’s surreal, the way Hyunjin is making his way over, all composed and hero-like. His hair is bouncing against his face, Keeper cap on his hand dangling with every stride. Perhaps Seungmin feels a little bit like fainting, but nobody needs to know that.

“Bighead Boy!” Hyunjin calls out once he’s of earshot. Though Hyunjin is calling him the usual insult, he says it more like an endearment along with a big grin that splits his face.

“Hey, Horklump,” Seungmin greets, returning the gesture with a warm smile.

“What brings you down here?” Hyunjin motions at the low ground. The grass is green and a little damp, and Seungmin isn’t sure if Hyunjin means here as in the Quidditch Pitch or here as in the place where the teams meet to psych themselves for the upcoming match.

“Well, I wanted to say good luck out there,” Seungmin answers, feeling himself get shy all of a sudden. Honestly, it’s the way Hyunjin leers, as if Seungmin is the only thing he sees.

“Is that all?” Hyunjin asks, and Seungmin thinks there’s a hopeful tone to his question, but he’s not quite sure.

“Uh, no. I have this thing,” Seungmin starts. Though now that he thinks about it, maybe this isn’t the best thing to give him. And honestly, Seungmin wonders if they’re even at the stage for him to offer it. “Ugh it’s stupid.” 

Seungmin ends up hiding his face in his palm for a second before straightening up and nodding at Hyunjin as if he wasn’t just seconds away from a little flustered meltdown.

“I’m sure it’s not stupid. What is it?” Hyunjin's easy tone makes Seungmin wholeheartedly believe the older boys words.

“I have this ribbon,” Seungmin begins as he pulls it out from his pocket. The piece of cloth feels flimsy in his grip. It’s a little long but no wider than five centimeters from the looks of it. The color of the ribbon is split in the middle, a solid red is vivid and lively, a stark contrast to the slightly muted emerald it’s lined against. “It has both of our house colors, and I was hoping you would wear it to your match today. As a sign of luck?”

Hyunjin gently takes the cloth from him, mouth ajar and looking a little awestruck. He inspects the ribbon closely, examining it close to his face before using his finger to run across the velvety texture of it.

“So it’s like a love token,” Hyunjin clarifies, staring at Seungmin under his thick eyelashes. There’s a dusting of pink high up on the older boy’s cheeks, and Seungmin feels a little proud that he’s the main cause of it. “A gentleman’s favor.”

“Of sorts,” Seungmin nods. “Obviously, you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to. I just thought, maybe-”

“I’ll wear it,” Hyunjin interrupts eagerly, clutching onto the ribbon in a tight, almost triumphant fist. “I’ll wear it proudly. Wait here, let me get you something.”

Seungmin blinks as Hyunjin begins to jog back to the team. Okay, so it’s been done. It’s out of the way. Seungmin has given Hyunjin a favor, something that the modern witches and wizards these days don’t normally do but was a tradition back in the olden days. Seungmin facepalms. He can’t believe this is the type of flirting he does, the type that hasn’t been popular for _centuries_.

He’s shaken up from his reverie when he sees Hyunjin running back with a bundle of fabric in his arms. It’s red and gold from the looks of it, and Seungmin has to swallow because he thinks he knows what it is. His speculation is proven correct when Hyunjin is close enough for Seungmin to get a good look at what the Gryffindor is holding.

Hyunjin holds it out to Seungmin; the fabric hanging from his arms is decorated with Gryffindor House colors.

“You want me to wear your scarf?” Seungmin asks in disbelief.

“In case you get cold up there,” Hyunjin lets out a soft chuckle before collecting his face into a cute, close-lipped smile.

“Okay,” Seungmin agrees but just as he’s about to reach out to take it, Hyunjin enters his personal space and wraps the scarf around Seungmin in one quick motion.

Like this, they’re almost flush against each other, and Seungmin finds that he’s hesitant to step away, so different from his attitude from the beginning of the year. Hyunjin is beaming at him, looking unwilling to step away himself. What the heck did Hyunjin do to him?

Seungmin takes the ribbon and pulls Hyunjin’s right arm up. With expert fingers, Seungmin ties the cloth onto Hyunjin’s wrist, finishing it with a small little loopy knot on top.

“Thanks,” Hyunjin whispers.

“Anyway, good luck!” Seungmin says with double fists. He swiftly leans in and gives Hyunjin a quick peck on the cheek. It’s chaste, immediate, no longer than half a second, yet Hyunjin looks at him with a shocked expression, both hands coming up to where Seungmin had kissed him.

Seungmin, feeling embarrassed at unusual behavior, turns around and looks down before running away in quick strides. Oh Merlin, he’s a fool. An infatuated, smitten, enamored fool. He’s bewitched. This must be it! Otherwise, he can’t explain why he’s acting so besotted towards Hyunjin, a boy who he had no regards for until the beginning of this year.

Though upon closer inspection, Seungmin that that’s not quite true, is it? He distinctly remembers being a little starstruck when he first saw Hyunjin during their first year. However, his admiration quickly died down once he got to know the boy. With the fact that they’re slowly getting to know each other, Seungmin thinks that maybe it’s building up again. Perhaps, now that they’ve both matured, Hyunjin has become more attractive, and Seungmin has been able to let go of his biased opinion against Gryffindors.

In any case, Seungmin skips up to the seats on top, feeling giddy and happy and a little like his heads are in the clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!!


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch match. Someone gets injured. Seungmin and Hyunjin finally defines their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter! Here it is! #HappySeungminDay
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated.
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!! I am very much in love with the Harry Potter universe and may go a bit too into detail of things. So if you have any questions about anything, please just ask!

“What took you so long?” Jeongin asks once Seungmin is up at the wooden bleachers.

“I was giving Hyunjin a good luck pep talk,” Seungmin shrugs. “Where’s Changbin?”

Jeongin laughs. “Probably the same thing you were doing, but with Felix. Is pep talk code word for kissing nowadays?”

“Shut up. We weren’t kissing!” Seungmin bites back.

“Who weren’t you kissing?” someone pipes up from behind them. Seungmin turns around in surprise, finding a smirking Changbin.

“None of your business,” Seungmin hisses. “Where have you been, anyway? Making out with Felix?”

“So what if I was?” Changbin retorts, taking the seat next to Seungmin. “Jealous that I could do it with Felix but you can’t with Hyunjin?”

Seungmin rolls his eyes and turns quiet. He can’t exactly deny it, so.

It’s a few minutes when the Quidditch match starts. At the bottom of Quidditch pitch, meters upon meters below them, are the Quidditch teams. Seungmin can make out the tiny figure of Hyunjin shaking hands with the Hufflepuff captain, Choi Yena.

And as soon as Madam Hooch blows on her whistles, she uses the Repelling Charm to send the Quaffle flying into the sky. Immediately, six players in scarlet-and-gold and black-and-yellow zoom up into the air in an attempt to get the Quaffle.

The Beaters quickly skyrockets to their own side, already on the defensive, while the Seekers hover above everyone, scouting the arena for the shining golden snitch.

“And that’s Choi Yena of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle,” says a booming voice. The commentator today seems to be Eric of Gryffindor. Seungmin watches Hyunjin drift in front of the Gryffindor goal posts. Yena along with the Lee sisters get into Hawkshead Attack Formation, a triangle of Chasers shooting towards Hyunjin. They pass the Quaffle to each other whenever one of the Gryffindor Chasers get too close to them.

They’re about to score when Mark and Bomin, the Gryffindor Beaters, were able to disrupt the formation by spiking the Bludger between them, allowing Hyunjin to block the pass made by Lee Chaeryoung.

“So close from Hufflepuff! As expected of Hwang Hyunjin, Gryffindor’s gem of a keeper saves the point!”

With the Gryffindors now in possession of the Quaffle, their Chasers, also composed of three girls like the Hufflepuffs, begin their attack from their side of the field. This time, it’s Jeno and Chenle who hit the Bludgers towards the Gryffindor Chasers. 

“Shin Ryujin with the Quaffle now, flying below a feisty Choi Yena.”

Yena zooms down to steal the Quaffle but Ryujin passes it to Yuna, another Gryffindor Chaser. The Hufflepuffs have other plans, however.

“AND OH!!! Yuna lets go of the Quaffle as the Lee sisters tackle her from both sides! Smart play from Chaeyeon and Chaeryoung. It’s Yena with the Quaffle once more, zooming past the Bludger coming her way.”

Nako of Gryffindor is on Yena’s tail, the other swerving as much as she can to shake off the Gryffindor. And Yena proves to be too slippery for her as she feints a turn that fools the Gryffindor. Free to make a pass, Yena shoots towards the middle post.

“And scores! First ten points to Hufflepuff!”

Seungmin groans as Changbin cheers. The points go like that, a close toss-up between Gryffindor and Hufflepuffs. Donghyuck, the Hufflepuff Keeper, is invincible today only letting two of the twelve attempts made by the opposing Chasers. Hyunjin isn’t much worse, managing to block all but four shots by the Hufflepuffs.

Felix and Jisung are circling each other at the top, surely trying to find the Golden Snitch when suddenly, Felix is diving down at high speeds. It seems as if Felix has spotted the Snitch. Jisung, without a second thought, follows suit. Seungmin can see how Felix’s blonde hair is whipping past his goggles, robes flapping up as he plummets down towards the ground.

Everyone in the stadium turns silent as the two Seekers race towards the bottom of the pitch. With their robes fluttering in their wake, it almost looks as if Felix and Jisung were two falcons swooping down to catch a fish in shallow waters.

“What are they doing?” Jeongin gasps as he motions at Seekers. “They’re obviously going to hit the ground!”

Just as Jeongin yells this, Felix curbs at the last second and banks to the right, his robes nearly touching the ground. Jisung, finally catching onto the fact that Felix hadn’t seen the Snitch at all and was, in fact, fooling him, tries to do the same, but he’s a half a second too late. Though he tries his best to slow down, he still manages to hit the ground hard enough to send him skidding off of his broom into the grass.

“Han Jisung down!” Eric’s voice booms. “Han Jisung is down. We are on a time out right now as a mediwizard hurries to the Gryffindor Seeker. In any case, fantastic play from the Hufflepuff Seeker using the Wronski Feint!”

“The what?” Both Jeongin and Seungmin turn to Changbin, who looks rather smug at the moment.

“The Wronski Feint,” Changbin repeats, smirking to himself. “It’s when a Seeker shoots down to the ground sharply, as if they’ve found the Snitch. Of course the other Seeker chases after them, but the first Seeker pulls up right as they’re about to hit the ground, unbeknownst to the other Seeker, who usually ends up crashing.”

“That was a good tactic,” Seungmin comments, much to Changbin’s complacence.

“Yeah, I told him to do that,” Changbin grins proudly. “Told him Jisung would definitely fall for it.”

When the play is back, the match goes on as if nothing happened. Hufflepuffs make two more goals, one from each other Lee sisters while Gryffindors, who must have felt the fire on their butt, manages to score six times, two each from Yuna, Ryujin, and Nako.

And then both Felix and Jisung are zooming to the Gryffindor’s side of the Quidditch pitch. The whole crowd gasps and begins to point at them. It seems they’ve spotted the slick, little Snitch. The two are side-by-side, both hands out reaching for the Golden Snitch. Everyone quiets down as they fly dangerously close to Hyunjin. The whole pitch is watching them, both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff players alike.

Felix and Jisung are both so undeniably close, but then Jeno is lining up his Beater’s Bat towards a flying Jisung. And Seungmin, seeing the person at the end of Jeno's line of sight, feels dread before it happens. With a powerful whack, the Bludger zooms towards the Seekers. Jisung must have seen it from the corner of his eyes because he swoops down to avoid it. It passes a focused Felix and right into an unsuspecting Gryffindor.

The diversion is enough for Felix to capture the Golden Snitch, while Hyunjin, whose arm, and possibly head, got hit by the Bludger in an attempt to save his face, spirals down from his broom. Jeongin clutches Seungmin's arm as Changbin does the same.

Seungmin lets out a cry, but it seems all is taken care of since Headmistress McGonagall already has her wand out, slowing down a rapidly falling Hyunjin.

The crowd isn’t sure if they should cheer in celebration of Hufflepuff’s victory or stay quiet at the misfortune of Hwang Hyunjin.

Seungmin races down the steps, head spinning at what has just occurred. When he reaches the bottom and tries to enter, the mediwizards tells him that they're not allowed to go on the pitch. He doesn’t know if it’s minutes or hours, but he somehow finds himself he’s at the entrance of the Hospital Wing along with the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and some friends of Hyunjin, when Madam Pomfrey comes out with the diagnostics.

“He’s fine,” she says sternly. “His arms are broken and a has suffered concussion, but it’s nothing I can’t fix. Just a bottle of Skele-Gro, some bone-enhancing magic, a good night’s rest, then he should be able to go out the day after tomorrow.”

“But can’t we see him?” Jisung asks.

“It's quite late. I think it’s best if we let him sleep,” Madam Pomfrey answers. “I know you want to see him, but he needs to rest, and he can’t exactly do that if you lot are disturbing him. You can give me something to pass along to him though, I think he might like that.”

“What about tomorrow?” Kang Mina questions, both hands clutched in front of her chest.

“You can visit him first thing tomorrow and give him whatever you like. But tonight, Hyunjin will be taking some much needed sleep.”

With a chorus of groans and huffs, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, as well as the others, walk away dejectedly. Already, he hears some of them conversing about what to give Hyunjin tonight as they drag their feet on their way out. Not Seungmin though. Madam Pomfrey sometimes has a soft spot for him.

“Let me see him, Madam Pomfrey. Please let me see him,” Seungmin begs.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Madam Pomfrey answers half sternly, half apologetic. It seems tonight is not one of those nights. “Like I already mentioned, he needs to rest, and he won’t be able to do so if you’re distracting him. But if you want, I can deliver something to him right now for you.”

Seungmin searches himself for something he can give Hyunjin but comes up empty. He has Hyunjin’s scarf, but he doesn’t think returning the older boy’s scarf to him would send the message he wants Hyunjin to receive. Perhaps he should consider it a defeat for now.

“It’s alright,” Seungmin sighs, deciding. “I don’t really have anything to give at the moment. But can I visit him tomorrow?”

“As soon as he wakes up, visiting hours are open,” she says with sharp eyes.

“Okay, thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” Seungmin bows and is about to walk away when Madam Pomfrey adds another thing.

“And don’t think about sneaking in tonight, I’ll have eyes on the place.”

Sneaking in? Seungmin wasn’t going to that. But now that she’s planted the idea… no, that would not be advisable. Seungmin settles on visiting Hyunjin tomorrow. Head Boys shouldn’t break the rules. Imagine the earful he would receive from Headmistress McGonagall. That won’t do.

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey,” He nods with tight lips.

She’s about to leave and close the doors on Seungmin when she turns back and gives him a rather soft look before telling him something that makes him lose his words.

“If it makes you feel any better, he’s also asked for you.”

Hyunjin... has asked for Seungmin? This little bit of information has Seungmin's heart doing backflips. He gives her a thankful smile in return, feeling his face heat up. When he gets to the corridors, Jeongin is already out to hug him.

“How is he?”

“He’s fine,” Seungmin mumbles into Jeongin’s neck. “But Madam Pomfrey won’t let me see him, says he needs to rest.”

“I’m sure he’ll be alright. Do you want to get some tea at the kitchens?”

Seungmin nods. They lean back from the embrace and descend down the moving staircases. Jeongin manages to make Seungmin feel at ease, with soft reassuring words and casual touches and the comforting warmth of honey-infused tea going down his throat. But at the end of the night when Jeongin bids goodbye, Seungmin still has an overwhelming need to see Hyunjin safe and sound right in front of his eyes.

***

This is stupid. This is careless and dumb and so unlike Seungmin. Seungmin isn’t one to break the rules, perhaps bend them on occasion but never break. Yet here he is, finished with patrolling the corridors, wand in hand as he unlocks the door to the Hospital Wing.

It's just that he can't stop thinking about what Madam Pomfrey said to him.

_...he's also asked for you..._

Just thinking about it makes Seungmin feel tingly.

Madam Pomfrey always says she’s watching the place, but more often than not, people get to sneak in. This has been done before on multiple accounts, and Seungmin thinks he could probably pull it off as well.

Sure enough, when he pushes the door, no Caterwauling Charm goes off. Not even a single noise other than a soft gasp in the dark.

“Hyunjin?” Seungmin whispers, hoping he’s the only patient here. He should have checked to see if there were others.

“Seungmin? Is that you?” a voice replies back. Seungmin thinks it sounds like Hyunjin, but he can’t be too sure. “Am I dreaming? I’m a little scared.”

Seungmin snorts. Okay, that’s definitely Hyunjin.

Seungmin conjures light nonverbally using the Wand-Lighting Charm. Instantly, the room is illuminated by a soft glow coming from Seungmin’s wand. It’s not too bright, which is ideal.

“Oh my god, you scared me!” Hyunjin hisses, hand on his chest. “What are you doing here?”

The younger boy swallows as he makes his way towards Hyunjin.

“I’m not sure myself.”

When he’s close enough, Seungmin sees how Hyunjin looks a little tired. He has the blanket pulled up to his chest, rubbing his eyes cutely as he stares up at Seungmin. There’s a layer of bandages on his right forearm and some wrapped around his forehead.

Maybe Seungmin really shouldn’t have snuck in. Hyunjin truly does look like he needs some rest.

“I wanted to see you, I suppose.” Seungmin rubs the back of his neck. “I actually came by earlier, but Madam Pomfrey said I shouldn’t bother you since you needed to rest, and from the looks of it, it seems that sneaking in here is ill-advised. You look terrible.”

“No! I’m fine. Please stay,” Hyunjin gives him a welcoming smile. Seungmin is about to sit down next to Hyunjin when he sees the mountain of gifts that are on the table by the foot of the bed. He goes there instead.

“She also told me that she could deliver something for me, but I had nothing,” Seungmin starts as he begins to skim through the little hill of get-well presents from several students. There’s a variety of sweets, ranging from Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Ice Mice, Chocolate Cauldrons, Toothflossing Stringmints, Treacle Tarts, and even Drooble’s Best Blowing Bubble Gum. The signatures aren’t just from Gryffindors and seventh years, but from all houses, some even as young as third year students. Most noticeable is the giant bouquet of flowers with bags of candies with them, and Seungmin can’t help but take a peek at who it’s from. “Though from the looks of it, you don’t need any more gifts if Kang Mina has sent this large bouquet.”

Hyunjin snorts. If Seungmin’s tone is a bit more scathing than usual, Hyunjin doesn’t mention it. Perhaps Seungmin has deluded himself into thinking that he had a chance with Hyunjin. Even from the beginning, Seungmin knew that a ton of witches and wizards had their eye on Hyunjin. And while Seungmin doesn’t think he looks bad himself, there are a lot more people whose looks and attitude would complement Hyunjin.

Hyunjin is kind, Seungmin has seen this, even if the older boy does have a habit of teasing Seungmin for his stick-by-the-rules attitude. He’s also pretty funny, despite his dramatic tendencies (or maybe because of it). And his face looks as if it was sculpted by Aphrodite herself, that Seungmin had wondered if Hyunjin was part Veela when he had first met him six years ago.

“I don’t care about those.”

Seungmin turns his head to face Hyunjin. “Hmm?”

“I said I don’t care about those,” Hyunjin repeats, eyeing Seungmin with half-lidded eyes. From this distance, the reflection of Seungmin’s lit wand on Hyunjin’s dark pupils kind of reminds Seungmin of moonlight, bright and twinkling and soft all at the same time. “I was asking for you, actually, but Madam Pomfrey forbade me from having visitors. Instead, I was hoping you would get her to deliver something to me.”

Seungmin deflates a little. He should have come back with something, a book in case Hyunjin got bored, or even one of the drinks that he likes from dinner.

“I guess you’re probably disappointed that I gave her nothing, huh?” Seungmin sighs. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Are you kidding?” Hyunjin giggles, his smile shining more than the light from Seungmin’s wand. “Maybe a little in the beginning, but you broke the rules and snuck in here to deliver yourself. That’s the best thing I could have asked for.”

Maybe Seungmin’s heart is racing a little. Seungmin makes his way towards Hyunjin, and the older boy scoots back to let Seungmin sit down on the bed next to him.

“Can you put the light out? It’s a little blinding.”

Seungmin snickers. “Nox.”

And then, when the room is dark and the night is quiet, Hyunjin asks, “Can I hug you?”

Seungmin’s heart is in his throat as he replies, “Go ahead.”

Hesitantly, Hyunjin wraps his arms around Seungmin’s waist. The younger boy likes the warmth of it all, the heavy pressure that someone is right there next to him. Hyunjin lays his head on Seungmin’s lap. Chewing on his lip, Seungmin lets his hand pet Hyunjin’s hair.

“How’s your arm?” Seungmin inquires softly.

“It feels fine,” Hyunjin answers, and his voice is a lot smaller than usual. Perhaps he also feels as nervous as Seungmin right now. “I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. I feel good.”

Seungmin thinks he understands.

“And how’s your head?”

“Haven’t had any complaints so far,” Hyunjin says before looking up at Seungmin and starts laughing. Seungmin doesn’t understand his answer. He also doesn’t get what’s so funny?

“Why are you laughing?”

Hyunjin is still giggling. “You don’t get it? Like, you don’t know what ‘head’ means?”

Seungmin shakes his head. “Unless you mean my temple, or even the tip of my… you know… then no.”

Hyunjin composes himself. “A story for another time then.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes and reminds himself to question Felix tomorrow or the day after what ‘head’ means in muggle dictionary.

“Shouldn’t you sleep soon?” Seungmin suggests.

“I suppose. Though I would feel better if you…” Hyunjin trails off.

If he? If he would what?

“If I would what?”

Hyunjin buries his face into the side of Seungmin’s stomach and mumbles the words into there.

“If you would cuddle with me.”

And oh. Oh. Okay, that’s fine, right? That’s good. In fact, that’s better than good. Seungmin undoes Hyunjin’s arms around him and stands up, much to the older boy’s horror. Hyunjin is staring up at him, as if he just made a big mistake.

“Unless you don’t want to, that’s totally fine. I suppose I was moving too fast, perhaps if you could just forget I even mentioned that, then we—”

“Relax, will you? I just stood up to take off my cloak,” Seungmin reassures him, chortling as he relieves himself off said layer. “Shut up and make space already. It’s cold.”

Hyunjin gawks at him before scrambling to get the lower half of his body to the side. Seungmin, feeling his ears go hot, grabs the blanket with slightly shaky hands and pulls it up so he could slide in.

Seungmin places his arm on the pillow and Hyunjin lays his head on it, hugging Seungmin until they’re nice and close and warm.

“Is this okay?” Seungmin whispers. Hyunjin releases a contented sigh.

“This is perfect.”

Seungmin hums in agreement. Hyunjin leans closer, and Seungmin thinks he smells the sweet scent of vanilla, peppermint, and something a little like broomstick wax.

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” Hyunjin asks him with pouty lips. Seungmin is surprised Hyunjin even has to ask.

Without thought, Seungmin closes his eyes and the distance between them. There’s something to be said about kissing in the dark. For one, you don’t always find each other’s lips correctly, maybe kissing the corner of the other’s lips, or worse, their nose. Seungmin ends up doing the latter and is about to pull back to apologize for his stupid mistake, but Hyunjin’s hand goes to support Seungmin’s head and they’re kissing full on now.

It’s something that feels a little more electrifying than magic, though it has the same energetic thrum that courses through Seungmin’s veins when he performs a charm. Hyunjin’s lips feel warm, not unlike the flames that lick his wand when he conjures a fire, and it makes Seungmin melt into the bed a little. Hyunjin’s lips are soft too, pillowy and sweet like warm marshmallows on hot chocolate, and Seungmin wants to drink him all in.

When Hyunjin pulls back, Seungmin has to swallow because he’s lost all his breath, and it’s getting a little hard to inhale any oxygen with Hyunjin being so close and smelling so good and looking like that.

“Please date me,” Hyunjin exhales.

“What?”

“I-I know that I always tease you for being Head Boy, and I know that you probably find me more annoying than the average person because I have a habit of bending the rules, but I like you,” Hyunjin says all in one breath. He swallows, blinking at Seungmin as he continues, “I know that I can be cocky sometimes, and that I can be too playful when I need to be serious, but I like you.”

Seungmin licks his lips, unsure what to say.

“I like how passionate you are when it comes to things like Head Boy duties and academia. I like how you used to tutor students back in our third and fourth year because the extra electives got too burdensome for them. And one time, I saw you fixing some Ravenclaw’s hair while they were crying, and I thought wow, I want someone to do that to me.”

“Hyunjin.”

“I admired you for so long, for your passion and compassion and the things that you did, small and big and selfless. And then you held my hand in the Prefect’s bathroom while I cried, and I thought, oh. _ Oh. _ It’s like that. It’s admiration and attraction and respect and more. So please, please give me the honor of dating you.”

Seungmin lets out a choked laugh. Is that really what Hyunjin has thought of him all this time? Hyunjin knew that Seungmin tutored others in Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes? He saw Seungmin consoling Jeongin when he was crying about his failed Divination exam? Hyunjin admires him? Is attracted to him and respects him? And more?

“There you go again with that honor nonsense,” Seungmin chuckles as he finds Hyunjin’s hand and entwines their fingers. “I would be more than happy to date you, if you’ll have me.”

Hyunjin grins then, leaning in to give Seungmin a peck on the lips.

“So just in case people ask, was Hogsmeade our first date?”

“This again?” Seungmin sighs.

They end up settling that yes, the Hogsmeade run over the weekend was their first date. Technically it was more Seungmin relenting to Hyunjin’s unorthodox, yet somewhat solid reasoning. _ We basically eyefucked each other at Madam Puddifoot’s over the sugar bowls _. Seungmin doesn’t know what eyefuck means, but he’s positive that they did not do that.

Later in the night, when they’ve quieted down and Hyunjin is playing with Seungmin’s collarbone, writing on it with his fingers, Seungmin had suggested that they should sleep. Hyunjin had tensed up and wondered aloud if Seungmin was sleeping here with him. Seungmin had shaken his head and had replied _ I think that type of intimacy should be reserved for another time. _ Hyunjin had nodded but held tightly onto Seungmin’s torso. _ Stay for a few more minutes, please _. So Seungmin did.

Regardless of whether Seungmin intended to, he ended up falling asleep anyway, because when he comes to, it’s past 3:00 am and he’s still in Hyunjin embrace. Careful to untangle himself out of Hyunjin’s arms, he gets off the bed and Summons a piece of parchment paper and his quill and writes a note to Hyunjin.

_ Sleep well. Hope you wake up feeling refreshed. -ksm _

Seungmin visits Hyunjin the next day and they talk about how to tell people that they’re dating, or if it’s even anybody’s business at all.

“Let’s just have fun and show little bits of public affection. Sooner or later, word will get out anyway.”

Seungmin nods.

“And you’ll be released tomorrow and back to go to classes again, right?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin answers, nuzzling his head into Seungmin’s neck. “Come here in the morning to help me get ready.”

“You’re such a baby,” Seungmin snickers. “But okay.”

It turns out, helping Hyunjin get ready meant making out on the Hospital Wing bed for minutes. Ties on the floor and a few top buttons undone, Seungmin and Hyunjin kissing with passion. It’s when Hyunjin is about to insert his tongue that they hear Madam Pomfrey’s footsteps from the hall.

Feeling like they’ve been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, they immediately separate from each other and begin fixing themselves. Seungmin buttons his shirt and is about to pick up a tie when Madam Pomfrey bursts through the door.

“You’re ready to be discharged, Hyunjin,” Madam Pomfrey says, eyeing them warily as they quickly do their ties. There’s a funny look on her face when she greets, “Good morning, Seungmin.”

“Good morning!” He replies, breathless.

“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey!” Hyunjin manages to call out as they both make their way out the Hospital Wing.

“That was so embarrassing,” Seungmin huffs, turning down the hall to go out the castle and into the greenhouse for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Hyunjin has to go down to Hagrid’s hut for Care of Magical Creatures.

It’s when they reach the grand exit of Hogwarts does Seungmin notice something. Every few people he passes by gives them a small, almost imperceptible double-take. And Seungmin can’t understand why. Is it because they’re walking together, regardless of the fact that their social circles aren’t even remotely close to each other. That could be it.

“Why are people looking weirdly at us?” He whispers to Hyunjin. “And snickering?”

Hyunjin shrugs as they exit the giant door and step into the green castle grounds.

“I have no idea, but I’ll see you later when classes are finished,” Hyunjin smiles at him, eyes disappearing into crescents. “Meet me here after class?”

“Sure. See you later, Horklump.”

They go their separate ways, Hyunjin down the path to Hagrid’s Hut and Seungmin to Herbology.

It’s when he gets into the greenhouse by the vegetable patch does Seungmin finally understand why people were giving them funny looks. As soon as he takes his seat next to Felix, the older boy gasps and looks at him in shock.

“Seungmin!” Felix calls frantically. “Why are you wearing a Gryffindor tie?!”

“What?” Seungmin looks down to check. And gallopin’ gargoyles! Felix is right. Seungmin is wearing Hyunjin’s tie, mouth hanging open in unexpected surprise. They must have accidentally switched in their hurry to get away from Madam Pomfrey’s eagle eyes. Oh Merlin, that was probably why she was giving Seungmin a funny look when she greeted him good morning.

Seungmin facepalms and explains to Felix what happened. At least now they don’t have to announce to the whole world that they’re dating.

And Seungmin also asks Felix what Hyunjin had mentioned before.

“I have a question though,” Seungmin whispers while they examine the best way to extract the green pods from the gnarly Snargaluff.

Felix hums.

“What exactly does ‘head’ mean, in Muggle slang?” Seungmin asks in a low voice.

“Gah!” Felix yells, presumably shocked from Seungmin’s question, before he shoots his hands up to cover his mouth. Several students turn towards them, as does Professor Longbottom who gives them a questioning look. “Sorry, professor! I- uhm, accidentally pricked my thumb on one of the thorns on this Snargaluff.”

Professor Longbottom nods understandingly. “I suggest one of you knot the vines together while the other attempts to stop the Snargaluff vines from attacking the person who’s tying.”

“Thank you, professor!” says Seungmin and turns back to Felix.

“Who told you about giving head?” Felix hisses to Seungmin. “Is it Hyunjin? Did he ask you to do it? Oh god.”

Seungmin blinks, unsure what Felix is getting at. “Just tell me what it means, Felix.”

Rolling his eyes, the older boy leans in to whisper the definition of giving ‘head.’ And oh. Oh.

“Merlin’s beard! I- no no no, he didn’t ask me t-to do _ that _ , or for me to d-do that to him. He just made a joke about it...” Seungmin finishes lamely. Which, he supposes he gets now. _ Haven’t had any complaints so far _. What does he expect Seungmin to do with that information?

Felix gives him a disbelieving look before moving on to handle the Snargaluff. They leave it at that, much to Seungmin’s relief and embarrassment.

Sure enough, word spreads around like wildfire. Seungmin and Hyunjin switch ties the next time they see each other, hand fumbling and faces flushed. And a good number of their close friends congratulate them. There are some students who throw them stinky eyes when they pass them by, more specifically towards Seungmin, but he sort of knew what he was getting into. The worst was when Kang Mina was glaring at him, and the grip on her wand was so tight that it began to flicker with black and yellow sparks.

Later in the night, when everything has settled down, they go to the Astronomy Tower after Hyunjin finishes homework and Seungmin completes his daily Head Boy duties.

Seungmin and Hyunjin are sitting on a blanket near the railings. The giant star clock is big and centered and acting almost like decoration for their midnight picnic.

“Are you absolutely sure there will be no Astronomy classes tonight?” Hyunjin whispers as he looks over Seungmin’s shoulders, almost as if he’s afraid that they’ll get caught.

“Trust me, I know the schedule of all classes,” Seungmin smiles. “We should be fine.”

Seungmin Summons the foods that he bought and prepared, nothing extraordinary but should be enough for a couple hours of stargazing. There are chicken and ham finger sandwiches, leftover Chocolate Cauldrons and Crystallized Pineapples from their Hogsmeade trip, and a jar of pumpkin juice that Seungmin had asked one of the house-elves to save for him.

“How can you just make food conjure out of thin air?” Hyunjin asks, amazement and wonder written on his face. He hesitantly takes one of the finger sandwiches.

“That’s impossible,” Seungmin rolls his eyes as he too steals a ham sandwich. “I can’t just create food out of thin air. It’s one of the Principle Exceptions of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration. You should know this. This is NEWT-level knowledge.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Hyunjin says through a mouthful of chicken and bread.

Seungmin swallows before speaking.

“Well, I can’t create food out of nothing. It’s not like fire or water where I could use the Fire-Making Spell or the Aguamenti Charm to produce it. Instead, I have to Summon it if I roughly remember where it’s placed. I can make them multiply, though I’m not sure how filling that would be, considering the Doubling Charm doesn’t duplicate its essence. I can make it bigger or smaller by using an Engorgement or Shrinking Charm, but that’s it. No, producing food out of thin air.”

Hyunjin is looking at him brightly, and Seungmin finds that he’d rather gaze at the stars in Hyunjin’s eyes than the watch the constellations above.

“How is it that you know everything?” the older boy asks in admiration. Seungmin heats up at how Hyunjin literally looks lovestruck.

“Well, it’s part of being brought up in a pure-blooded family, I guess,” Seungmin chuckles self-consciously. “You get to learn about magic even before entering Hogwarts.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Hyunjin smiles at him, and Seungmin can’t help but return it. Hyunjin takes a Crystallized Pineapple and pops it into his mouth.

“By the way, did you ever figure it out?” Seungmin asks before he takes a sip of pumpkin juice.

“Figure what out?” Hyunjin blinks at him.

“What I mentioned before. What’s more important than honor.”

Hyunjin looks at him contemplatively, chewing on the sweet as he does. And then he’s reaching out to take Seungmin’s free hand and entwining their fingers.

“I’m starting to.”

Hyunjin beams at him, bright like moonbeams in the dark of night.

“Good,” Seungmin replies, squeezing Hyunjin’s hand. “Me too.”

They eat in silence as they watch the night sky, one of the stars streaking past the darkness in a glimmer of light. Seungmin was correct about one thing. 

This is the best year for Hogwarts yet.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think?
> 
> Kudos and Comments are very, very, very much appreciated. Please feed me!
> 
> Follow my Twitter: @[seungminhot](https://twitter.com/seungminhot) !!!


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